Team Ragamuffin
by addjoco
Summary: Dan, the Private Eye with a Third Eye, and Jack the Gangrel Vampire, team up to stop crime and solve mysteries, natural or supernatural! (A loose style role play and writing exercise between myself/Dan and a friend/Jack.
1. Intro 1

(One of two intro's to Dan before "Team Ragamuffin" gets rolling. Attempting to establish a character through action rather than exposition.)

Dan sighed and tried to block out the sound of thunder with his pillow. A second round of thunder rolled in, and Dan rolled out of bed with it. Mother Nature was telling him to get up, and ignoring that bitch wasn't smart. He threw on some clothes and grabbed a pop-tart on the way out of his dingy apartment.

On the street there was grey; the streets, the buildings, the sky, hell, even the people. The rain was steady and depressing. Dan shivered and pulled his coat tighter around him. He sighed one more time and started his steady pace down the street as if he couldn't be bothered to stay dry. He gave the other half of his breakfast to some guy with a cardboard sign, and kept walking with his hands in his pockets.

As he walked, the buildings got taller until the scenery had morphed from rundown apartment buildings and shady pawnshops to shiny rain slicked skyscrapers and Starbucks. The people were still grey though; it didn't matter if they were holding a piece of cardboard or a briefcase.

Dan found the particular office building he was looking for and ambled inside. Walking towards the secretary's desk, he looked around aimlessly. He was still staring off at an abstract piece of shit on the wall when he told the secretary, "I'm here to see your boss."

He made eye contact with her in time to see her cover up a look of distaste at this little vagabond in torn jeans and a leather jacket dripping water all over the main lobby thinking that he could just 'see her boss', "I'm sorry sir, but you'll need an appointment to see Mr. Richardson."

Dan lifted his shoulders up with his hands in his pockets still, "I've got one.", and let them collapse back to their normal position at half slouch.

"I'm sorry but I don't think…" the secretary tried to come back.

Dan stopped her right there, "Look hun, don't ask me why your boss hired me, but he did, and I'm here."

She looked at him hard for a second, "…I'm going to make a call."

The secretary made a call that Dan zoned out for. No need to pay attention, he was going to get in anyway; it was just a matter of getting past the front desk 'hospitality'.

She hung up the phone; the masked spite was almost too much, "I apologize, Mr. Grovesner. You're two hours late, but 'my boss' will see you immediately. His office is on the 26th floor." She pulled her lips back into a smile and pointed towards the elevators.

"Thanks doll." Dan nodded and smiled back. He then turned the opposite direction and wandered over to the stairway still dripping water.

When Dan reached the 26th floor he was panting and still wet, this time from sweat, Mr. Richardson was waiting by the elevator, "Mr. Grovesner, thank you for showing up, I…would you like a towel?"

"No thank you boss," Dan winked at the man in his clean, dry, immaculate business suit, "Just needed my morning work out."

"Ah! I see... Well, considering the time, I was just thinking about going out to get some lunch. Would you care to join me? We can discuss our business arrangement then." Mr. Richardson seemed to be more understanding than his secretary; he was a businessman after all.

Dan smiled lazily, "Yeah, know any good vegetarian places nearby?"


	2. Intro 2

(Second intro to Dan before Team Ragamuffin gets rolling. Not necessary to read, but this will give you some more of Dan's flavor, along with some characters and settings that will be mentioned later on.)

There was something invigorating about that final olfactory death throws of garbage after it was thrown together into their metal coffins. Steam hissed out of street vents and into the night. He knew it was here somewhere.

Dan scoured the faces of the buildings. All of them were dirty and falling apart with lightless signs or none at all, torn posters and graffiti. He paused on the corner under a lonely street lamp that buzzed at him in greeting. It was late. The only other signs of life were a shadowy group of kids, and a cat fishing for scraps. From somewhere in the middle of the block he could vaguely pick up the strains of music. That had to be the place. He ambled down the street, following his ears.

As he tracked the sound down, it turned into some rock riff he wasn't familiar with. The vocalist had one of those howling nasal tones that every other shitty, yet inexplicably popular, rock band seemed to be sporting these days.

Before going in, he closed his eyes and brushed his hands across the door's surface and let the door's history wash over him. He didn't need much, just tonight. No need to waste time in the wrong bar, especially if he was going to have to deal with that noise. Sure enough, the hands attached to the man he was looking for had come into contact with this door. Dan gave himself a smug little smile; it'd only taken him a day and a half to find the guy. Now came the fun part.

The bar looked just as crumby on the inside as it did on the outside. Mismatched chairs and tables in various states of disrepair littered the floor. A few bodies had given up in the middle of the veritable obstacle course and tucked themselves away in corners with hard liquor to ease their wounded pride.

Dan knew this guy would be at the bar. Considering the figure on the right was a rather hefty woman, he slunk his way to the only other character at the left end of the bar.

Dan shifted up to the bar stool next to the guy as casual as if he were a regular himself. He hailed the bartender for a beer, and another of whatever his neighbor was drinking. It was dark and smoky, but he could still tell that this was the man he had been looking for. He appeared about six foot while hunched over his drink, had dark curly hair cropped close to his shining scalp. A goatee and thick eyebrows to match bracketed his Roman nose. His forehead and nose glistened faintly in the bar's lights, either from sweat or oil, but most likely both.

The bartender brought the drinks. Over the sound of a generic guitar solo, Dan began working his tricks "Hey Slick, need another?" He offered the drink, "Names Dan, you come here often?"

The man glanced over and raised one of his thick eyebrows as if to say, "Really?"

Dan kept rolling, "I'm looking for a guy who likes to hang around here, name of, Marcus Seisman?"

The man felt inclined to speak this time, "And what would you want with this Marcus if you found him, anyway?" He was looking around the bar furtively while he spoke. Man, this guy sucked at subtlety. Mine as well cut to the chase.

Dan clapped him on the shoulder; he was hoping to pick something up off his jacket, anything. All he really got was a lot of B.O., "I hear he runs a pretty lucrative business, and I think I might have an interested party."

The man finally turned to really look at Dan. He seemed a lot more interested now, until Dan saw recognition dawn on him, "Well, I think I might know how to get a hold of the guy. Why don't you step outside with me for a minute."

Again, this guy's subtlety was as existent as the romantic atmosphere in here. '_What would you want with him if you found him?_', '_I might know how to get ahold of the guy_?', and '_Why don't you step outside with me_?' This was almost painfully transparent, and Dan knew exactly where it was headed. He wasn't too worried though, he was pretty sure he could handle whatever this amateur threw at him.

The man downed the last of his drink, dropped some money on the counter, gave a familiar nod to the bartender, and slid off the barstool. On his way over to a side door with a glowing red exit sign above it, he slipped a pack of cigarettes out from his pocket.

Dan took a minute to finish the rest of his drink before he did the same, no need to rush. The exit sign opened up to a dim, pungent, and quiet alley. The rank scent of tobacco and sweat hung in the air next to the garbage smell

"Hey Slick, you out here?"

Silence, he looked around the alley for a second. Dan turned around to go back into the bar, but was greeted instead by a fist flying straight for his face. Dan reacted instinctually. He ducked. The hair on top of his head danced; being short had its advantages sometimes.

Despite having dodged the first blow, a second pair of arms snaked through Dan's from behind, and put him in a full nelson. Then, the first fist's twin succeeded where its brother had failed. Air whooshed from Dan's lungs and into the night. He might not have been able to breath, but he was still going to get his two cents in. He managed to wheeze out, "Not even gonna buy me a drink before you have your way with me?"

"Shut him up." Came the man from the bar's voice a little further back in the alley.

The first hand, now revealing itself to belong to one of the sulking bar patrons, a big guy with big muscles fancying himself a big shot, backhanded Dan across face. Along with the flash of pain came a flash of incomprehensible memories and a touch of satisfaction. Sick little prick was probably getting off to this. Dan couldn't help but comment; "You know I like it when you play rough."

He got a fist this time. That shut him up. The muffled sound of another shitty song nearly identical to the last filled the sudden stillness. The greasy man strolled out of the alley's shadows. Cigarette smoke curled around him and wreathed him in smog, "Well, _Dan, _for someone with a reputation like yours, you sure are stupid."

Dan managed to gasp out, "Maybe that's just what I want you to think, _Marcus_."

He came closer, his cigarette smoke began to snake over to Dan, "You know who I am? Good, so at least you're not retarded."

Dan tried to blow some of the smoke out of his face with the breath that was just now migrating back to his lungs, "I believe the correct term is mentally handicapped. That fag you're smoking is what's retarded."

Marcus took one, long, deep lungful and pulled the cigarette from his lips. He came just a step closer and exhaled all over Dan. Tobacco, stale alcohol, perspiration, and general halitosis washed over him. He held his breath as best he could, but inhaled every unpleasant thing quiet suddenly when Marcus stuck the glowing tip of his cigarette underneath Dan's jaw, "Who's this 'interested party'?"

Dan gritted through his teeth, "Oh, the usual." The cigarette hissed as I died against his body, "Why don't you come a little closer, and I'll whisper it in your ear?" It didn't work. Marcus stepped back and began to relight his cigarette, "I'm done with your shit, Dan. After my boys are done with you, a whisper is about all you'll be able to manage. I don't know how much you know, but you've been throwing wrenches in our operations for months now. _Both_ those things are gonna change." He gave a nod to his 'boys'.

The man behind Dan tightened the full nelson, and the goon in front wound up for another lung crushing body blow. Dan did his best to relax his body and absorb some of the impact. It helped only a little. The second one was already in route to his face. Dan relaxed even more this time. In fact, he even pitched forward and completely lifted his feet off the ground. Hopefully this worked. Dan wasn't very tall, but he wasn't scrawny. The man holding him was pulled forward by Dan's dense boxer's physique just enough to get hit in the face with the fist meant for him. There! The detective planted his feet back on the ground and pushed back. He threw his head back and yanked his arms downward. The full nelson was loosening. He continued to lean back into it until he could pick his knees up into his torso and drive them into the other guy's chest.

From the force of the kick, Dan was dragged backward onto the ground by the nelson; it definitely wasn't full anymore. At least he had something nice and meaty to land on. He rolled to the side and broke the hold finally. He didn't have too long until someone came at him. Dan pounced up off the ground, and snagged a pair of brass knuckles from his jacket. A natural and practiced boxing stance was what he fell into. A new song started up inside. These sad sacks where on his turf now.

The man who'd been throwing the punches came after Dan first. Depraved idiot had a bloated ego from beating up on a man being held down. Dan smiled. He was going to deflate that ego like a whoopee cushion. He easily dodged the handful of haymakers the ox threw brazenly at him before weaving inside and driving straight up into his jaw. Dan's solid frame, boxing skills, and brass knuckles equaled an instant K.O. Might have chipped a few teeth as well.

Marcus was finally stirring into action, so was the guy on the ground, who was back on his feet, and Dan recognized as the bartender, "I give you my money, and this is how I'm repaid?" Marcus was going for his back. Was there a gun there? Probably, but Dan needed the bartender out of the way, "This is no way to treat your patronage." He took the offensive this time. Before the man could even prepare a good defense, Dan was raining blows on his arms, stomach and sides. A particularly sharp jab to the solar plexus winded the man. Dan followed up with a leg sweep. The man went down without a struggle. While he coughed on the ground for air, Dan gave him a swift kick to the head and it was lights out. He turned now to Marcus, who had a gun pointed at him.

He could tell that Marcus was debating whether or not to kill Dan.

Dan decided to help the poor bastard make a decision. He slid the brass knuckles off. There might be a chance that Dan could get what he wanted without having to touch the man after all. He relaxed his posture back to the usual half slouch, "Now things are a bit more even, wouldn't you say? Why don't you calm down and put the gun away, and we can chat? Just like we were gonna do in the first place."

Dan watched as Marcus tried to process the situation as quickly as his small time criminal mind could in an effort to make the decision he stood to gain the most from. It was rather pathetic really; this half assed gangster with his cheap suit, cigarette, and gun. What was he trying to be anyway? Marcus's skin glistened dimly in the alley's weak light from sweat that was clearly evident now. He tentatively put the gun back in his waistband.

There was a soft groan from the ground behind them. Shit, someone was starting to wake up. Looked like he was going to have to speed things up whether he liked it or not.

Dan gave that lazy smile that charmed regardless. He did his best to appear unphased or out of breath from the little _encounter_. With a gentle step forward he began, "There we go. I'm feeling much more talkative already." The gap between Dan and Marcus was approximately six feet. He could probably rush Marcus in that distance before he got the gun out, but closer would be better, "We're gonna play this fair. You tell me something I want to know, and I'll tell you something you want to know. Sound good, Slick?" Marcus nodded slowly, "First question, do you know a good tailor?"

Confusion splattered itself across Marcus's face like an egg. Dan took that precious moment to close the distance between the two of them and grab the cuff of his right jacket sleeve. He pulled it in close to his body, and performed a seamless takedown. Dan was now in a full grappling mount with control of Marcus's right arm, with the gun pinned beneath him, "because this hem is looking a little worn."

Marcus was stunned. Futilely, he began thrashing beneath Dan and swinging wildly with his free left arm. Dan had it completely under control. Even with Marcus's size advantage, years of boxing and Ju-jitsu gave him the clear upper hand, "Quit squirming. This won't take long."

Dan wasn't looking forward to touching the guy, but it had to be done. With the hand not helping pin Marcus, he stuck his palm onto his forehead. Everything flooded in.

Dan hated physical contact. When he touched an inanimate object it was easy. There weren't any thoughts or emotions to compete with or muddy the mixture. Human beings were different, messier. Brains imprinted history different than cold dead matter, and doors and jackets were mercifully emotionless.

Immediately, Dan felt all of Marcus's alarm, confusion, and anger, a lot of anger, not quite pure hatred, but still clearly within the loathing spectrum. He needed to focus if he was going to get what he came for.

Marcus's free arm was still trying to aid in a pointless escape, but it still managed to claw around at Dan's face. He got a few good scores in, and somewhere between focusing on keeping the grappling mount and sifting through Marcus's memories, He felt his bandana torn away.

Dirty blond hair fell forward into his face, and Dan experienced Marcus's anger and loathing take a backseat to his confusion and fear. His hope that his hair, the alleyway's poor light, and Marcus's struggle would keep attention away from his forehead quickly faded. Marcus's eyes bugged out in his skull, Dan knew exactly what he was looking at. A massive third eye split Dan's forehead in half. He was using his psychometry, so he knew for a fact that it was opening wider and dilating more every second, and staring right back at Marcus, into him in fact. Dan struggled to focus his power on Marcus's mind in search of the memories he wanted.

Marcus's body went still, "What are you?"

Dan ignored him for the time being, and took advantage of the relative calm to dive into Marcus's mental history. He just needed a location, or the next rung up the ladder. Some scrap of evidence.

"Oh my god. What are you doing to me?"

Dean continued ignoring him. Just about…there! Got it! He had what he needed, now to get the hell out of here! He covered Marcus's mouth and nose. He really started to panic now, it was almost sickening, but Dan still maintained the mount. The thrashing became squirming, the squirming became twitching, until Marcus lay completely unconscious on the grimy ground.

Dan stood up and took his bandana back. He wasn't worried about his little secret getting out. No one was going to believe Marcus. It had been a dark violent encounter, he'd been drinking, and a five foot four health conscious private eye had just knocked him and his two cronies out cold. He debated whether it was worth it or not to hide the bodies. Sloth won that one, so Dan shrugged and left the alley behind, he needed a beer.


	3. Team Ragamuffin 1

Sweet sustenance was seconds from his lips when a rather rude young gentleman bumped into him. Ketchup smeared down his shirt and the veggie dog plopped sadly on the sidewalk, "Dude?!"

The man didn't apologize, just grunted and continued on down the street with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Dan wasn't going to let this effrontery stand. Actually, he would have if he hadn't caught a glimpse of some interesting history on the guy's jacket, "Hey man, you mind? That was like the only food I've had today. Gonna buy me a new one maybe? Could get yourself one even?"

He looks back over his shoulder and gives a 'fuck you' grin, more like a feral bearing of teeth. He wasn't that much taller than Dan, 5'6" maybe? "That's my problem how?"

"Because you look like you enjoy a good hotdog." That wiped the smile off the punk's face.

His brows furrowed from underneath the beanie barely containing his scruffy brown hair. He had a pretty scruffy look over all, "...are you calling me gay?"

Dan held his hands up defensively, "Not calling you anything. Be whatever you wanna be, but I'm getting my food, or a beer. I'd take a beer." It was Dan's turn to smile now.

The ragamuffin rubbed his face, "I'm not getting rid of you are I?" **Sigh**, "Well, lucky for you I was heading somewhere like that anyways."

Dan immediately fell into a casual stride next to his new acquaintance, "You from around here?"

**Shrug**, "Yes and no"

They were walking down a familiar stretch of sidewalk. Dan had an idea where they might me going, "Lucky for you I'm a native. Born and bred. I know a few places." He extended a hand, "Name's Dan."

The other man stopped and looked at the proffered palm. His face took on a more lively air, but he still didn't shake.

Dan gave a winning smile, "I don't bite."

The man returned it, "Maybe I do..."

Dan's eyebrows raised into his bandana, looks like he had stumbled onto this evening's entertainment.

He shook his head; Dan seemed to have missed something, "Fine, I'm Jack." And then shook the damn hand.

When they shook, Dan opened his third eye just the slightest. Enough to get a flavor of this _Jack_, "Nice to meet you Jack. Good American name you got there." He picked up flashes of fighting among a group of people, and disgruntled anger along with a fresh spark of curiosity. He got the sense that this man was on a mission of some kind, "Now waddya say we soldier on?"


	4. Team Ragamuffin 2

Jack leads his new acquaintance to a club door. Early evening on a summer Saturday night in Chicago meant this place was just warming up.

Dan 'read' the door as he and his new friend slipped in, he might have recognized a face or two off hand, but he didn't know anyone. He notices the place seems a lot bigger than the outside let on. The weekend crowd is warming up. Some are dancing to some techno beat, others just socializing at the bar, booths, and tables, "Not my usual scene, but I can dig it."

"I hear you there. Let's grab a booth." Jack signals a hostess to find them a table. As they move through crowd, people seem to give them a wide birth.

When they are seated, Dan addressed the waitress first, "My friend here would like to order me a beer."

An eyebrow shoots up, "I would... would I...?" Jack couldn't get a good read on this guy, but still..., "Yeah I would. Can you get me a Jim Beam Sour?"

The cute little number of a waitress disappeared back into the crowd. Dan turned back towards Jack, who seemed much more attractive at the moment, "So what brings you to the windy city?"

"I lived here for a while. Now, mainly,...work... How about you?"

"Like I said, born and raised. Make a living as an investigator of sorts." He couldn't help the lopsided grin; not actually sure what to classify his occupation as.

Good, Jack had run into the right guy. He could use an Investigator for an upcoming job if the info coming in was any good, "Soooooooo i gotta ask ya how good an investigator are you?"

Wow, not a very subtle one this. Dan starts to wipe the ketchup off his shirt, "Depends." It's going to leave a stain, "How interesting is the job?"

"Action, adventure, a chance to see exotic places."

Interesting company and work? Looked like Dan had hit the 'Jack'pot. That awful pun left the crooked grin on his face, "I like all three of those things. I like you too, Jack Attack." From the second of psychometry Dan had used earlier he felt that Jack could deliver, "Sure, I'll join you on your thrilling action adventure of the summer."

"Look, I need someone..."found""

"Well you're in luck! That's what I do best!"

"Good." The drinks arrive. Jack gives his drink a swirl then takes a pull, "Anybody ever tell you, you look a little like Snake?"

"Who?"

"Old school action hero?" Dan looked at him blankly, "From escape from New York?" Still nothing, "Never mind, it's nothing." Jack started to imagine him with dark hair and an eye patch, but quickly shakes the thought out of his head.


	5. Team Ragamuffin 3

Dan began to enjoy his beer, "It's great finding work and all, but I was kind of hoping to enjoy my weekend a little."

"I will pay you..."

"You better." He gave a coy look from beneath his bandana, "I might be willing to get started a little earlier though. You seem more interesting than my usual clients."

"Yep, that's me interesting and awesome." Jack took a self-satisfactory swig.

A skinny ratty looking man made his way over to the table looking around nervously, stealling glances at Dan while ringing his hands.

Jack greeted him, "Hello Troy."

Dan felt it only polite to greet his as well, "Heya Troy!"

The new guy's voice seemed to match his appearance, "You never said you'd have company."

"Shut up and sit down Troy."

"but..."

Jack shoots him a look and he does it. Wasn't hard to tell that he didn't have much patience for this man, "You got the information I wanted?

"Yes, but…"

And there was the end of the rope that was Jack's patience. Dan watched this little exchange intently while reclining in his chair and enjoying his beverage.

Troy finally slides over a piece of paper, "All I got is a name."

Jack takes the slip, "It'll do." Suddenly, he perks up ever so slightly and glances around the club.

Dan leans in, "Wow, pretty secretive here aren't we? Gonna let everyone in the bar know you're up to no good."

"God damnit Troy... Dan, how good are you in a fight?"

"I can hold my own."

Jack slides the paper into his pocket, "Good 'cause apparently, _Troy_, here was followed."

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Troy." Dan chides, as he casually shrugs his jacket off, "How many we got incoming?"

"But I wasn..." Their informant's words are cut off when a muscular man throws him back.

A heavy sigh from Jack, "God damn it, Troy." The two little men both turned to see a group of seven guys, each looking tougher than the last, but looks were deceiving, "And what can we do for you shit heads today?"


	6. Team Ragamuffin 4

Dan hauls himself up, relaxed, hands in pockets; a default posture. His 5' 4" height didn't seem very intimidating to these gentlemen here, but he was solid. A boxer's build that was dangerous not to recognize, "Good evening gentlemen, I'm afraid I forgot to grab some ones before you showed up. I'm sure you have change for a twenty though?" He acts as though fishing money from his pockets. The men stand around, not sure what to do. Before any of them can truly react, Dan pulls both his fists from his pockets and lands a knockout blow to the nearest goons jaw. Brass knuckles glinted in the club's lights.

That glint seemed to be the green light, Jack, who was sipping on his drink, now smashed it into another goons face while slamming a third's face into the table top. He pops to his feet, "Okay, who's next?"

The club seemed to be taking notice. The energy fed some and alarmed others.

Four men are left, two go to grapple Dan and the other pair focus on Jack. Troy seems to still be cowering in the booth. Club staff is starting to roll into action themselves. Dan takes all this in with the a practiced eye, "Two against one? Now that's not fair." He manages to weave outside of one's grasp while winding the other with a blow to the gut. A knee to the groin and he was down. The man he'd just evaded is now behind him and putting him in a Nelson. Using the advantage of a lower center of gravity, Dan hip tosses him on top of his pal, gives him a quick smooch while they're faces are close together, and gives him one more kiss on the jaw, this one with brass.

Jack see's Dan's skill and smirks. He can see the two men look less confident after watching coworkers get taken care of easily by supposed bums. Never the less, they have a job to do. They charge Jack, but he's prepared even as the twitch of his senses feel the dude whose face he mashed into the table rousing himself. Not wasting a second Jack throws himself into the combat. Little did they know, he did this for a living.

The first man swings a haymaker at Jack that he catches only to release into his groggy friend. They crash, knocking the table over. The second charging man drives in hard and catches Jack in the back... now he's pissed. He rounds on the taller man. A whipped fist knocked him off guard and let Jack get close enough to use elbows and knees to hit strategic points. Jack then does a shoulder throw of his own onto the growing pile of bodies.

While Jack was mopping up, Dan, who thought Jack was better in a fight than himself, and enjoying it far too much, touched the face of one of the dazed men. He was having trouble focusing through pain, unconsciousness, and all the outside stimuli from the club, but hopefully he could get the details on this ballroom blitz? Not much is gleaned, as the man seems to have training against such a thing, peculiar. All he could clearly glimpse was a logo and a name... Pentex.

Interesting. Dan had heard of Pentex. They had a couple offices and other businesses here in Chicago, and they were involved in all sorts of other ventures throughout the city and the rest of the world.

"Well," *Dan straightens up and slips the knuckles back in pants, "what do you say we blow this joint?"

Jack finally notices the oncoming bouncers. He shoots Troy a freezing glare, "Agreed."

Dan skips just out of reach of a disgruntled bouncer. The boys escape out into the street. Dan does a quick check to make sure the group in the bar didn't have any back up waiting outside. All clear, "Well Jack Attack, looks like I've started whether I like it or not." A lazy grin stretches across his face.

Jack laughs, "Jack Attack is it, Dan the Man?"


	7. Team Ragamuffin 5

Dan pops a new toothpick in his mouth to replace the one lost in the bar fight, "Why don't we lay low at my place until the heat's off, and you can tell me about who needs finding?"

A couple blocks from the club, and Jack was looking a bit wearier, "Was that a bad pick up line?"

"Only if you want it to be." **wink**

"No...I don't…but lead the way, man."

Dan seems to have lazy stroll for a gait. He didn't look too concerned about anyone following. The surroundings of a bustling city on a Saturday night became far less glamorous inner city apartment complexes. He leads the way into a building that doesn't stand out from any of the others. Inside that one is a door with '41' on it. This is Dan's. The apartment was miniscule and cluttered; a small kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom all crowded together. A mattress in the corner and a small stack of clothes acted as the bedroom. A large coffee table took up the rest of the room. It's littered with papers, notes, photographs, beer cans, food wrappers, a camera, a small TV, and a radio.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"Be right back." Jack makes a bee line to the bathroom,

From behind the shut door come retching sounds.

"You okay in there?"

More retching and the sound of spitting, "Yeah, something just didn't sit right." The faucet runs quickly and the door opens to reveal a paler looking Jack.

"Seriously, you feelin all right? I don't have much, but what I have is yours."

"Don't worry I'm fine just gotta hit the road soon. I'm getting "hungry", haven't eaten all day." The word 'hungry' causes a predatory look to cross his eyes, "Look, let's get back to the matter at hand. I need you to find this person. I don't know who they are or what they look like, but it's a grave matter to me. Understand?"

"I get that you're a man of mysteries, Jack, and I really dig it, but that's all I get to work with?"

"I have a name. You get it once you agree."

Jack really didn't know much more, but if Dan didn't agree soon he'd end up having to look himself, and that was not something he had the skill of patience for.

Dan couldn't lie to himself. He liked Jack. His flirtations might have failed, but he still seemed like a kindred spirit. Ah, what the hell? He'd just finished another job, and had nothing better to do, Might as well get entrenched in another of the city's cliché infested dramas, "I never said no, now did I?" A sly grin.

Jack extends his hand, relief showing through his sickly pallor, "So we have a deal?"

Dan gladly takes it. This time his eye is looking for the name and any memories tied to it. In his head he'd already started the job before even grabbing Jack's hand.

All he got was that the name started with 'S', Jack hadn't even looked at it himself, that and the memory of a young girl burning and the death and rage felt at the time, "Let's take a look at that paper than, shall we?"

Jack hands him the folded up note and a card with his number, "Look I need to get going." He looks out the window to the ending night, "I'll be in touch with you soon about payment." He says as he heads for the door.

"Take it easy Jack, you don't look so hot. You know where to find me."

The door closed. Dan unfolds the paper. The name Sebastian Lawrence is jotted hastily in its center.

No use starting now. All he could get from the paper was that it was just written today. He sat in the only space he kept clear on the floor and meditated before rolling into bed, only a little sad it was alone.

Jack smirked on the way down the street. Things were all going according to plan, and this Dan fellow was pretty interesting. Should make for some fun.


	8. Team Ragamuffin 6

"Hello, Dan."

"Good evening to you." Dan greeted Jack as he entered his tiny apartment once more. It had been a little less than a week since they had first bumped into each other on the street.

"Have you found out any info about Sebastian?"

"Pfft, of course I did, but you didn't tell me he wasn't from Chicago, but I got _something_, probably just not what you wanted."

"Tell me anyway."

"Pretty average kid. Pretty shitty childhood though No living family that I could find. Went to a little college in Midnowher, South Dakota for art 'till he dropped out, then *poof* disappeared off the face of the earth." He threw up so jazz hands and popped a toothpick into his mouth, "Afraid I couldn't find hide or hair of him after that. All I got is Pentex. They're the ones that sent those apes on us in the bar last week, and seem to not want you having that name. Sorry I couldn't be more help, but if I can't find someone, then they are _gone_, and you are not paying me enough to keep looking. But how've you been, buddy? Weren't looking too good last I saw ya."

Jack rolls his eyes looking in fridge, the lack of information was disappointing, and, no, he wasn't feeling better. He gave a halfhearted grunt in reply, "Work's keeping me busy."

"You never did tell me what you do for a living."

"I make other peoples problems disappear."

"So assassin, mercenary, cleaner? Which one?"


	9. Team Ragamuffin 7

Jack straitened up, this Dan clearly knew more than he let on, how much was that though? "Cleaner...

"Don't be so surprised, Jack. I'm a detective, not an idiot. I've worked with my fair share of 'unsavory' types and people that want 'discretion'. It's cute how you try and play coy though." **wink**

"'Unsavory' you say?" Jack smirks, "Trust me, you ain't worked with nothing like me before. But on this Sebastian kid, no acquaintances? Locations?

"For some odd reason I do. Trust you, that is. But I'm sorry the only other thing I found was that he went by Puck mostly."

"Heh…Puck? What is he afraid of hockey? Hehehe, hockey _puck_." Jack chuckles at his own bad joke.

Dan shook his head and smiled, that _was_ an awful joke, "I think it's more of an homage to Shakespeare you know, _Midsummer Night's Dream_? Kid was one heck of a trouble maker."

"Hmmm... I'm more of a Poe man myself. _The Masque of the Red Death_ was always a favorite."

"Would that make you Jack the Ripper?"

Jack smirked again, "I go by many names. Another one is Spring-Heeled Jack."

"Think I'm gonna stick with Jack Attack myself."

"Better than 'Jack'pot."

"Already made that joke in my head. I've got a few more ready."

"So, _Puck_. Anything else there is to know about him?"

Dan shook his head, "Sorry man. You're a tough customer."

"Hmmmm...", Jack looked outside and grimaced, "Well thanks for trying. I'll get your payment." Under his breath, "It's later than I thought…haven't eaten all night…"

Dan, ever charitable, "Don't worry about it, I didn't do a very good job. I've got mac and cheese for your munchies, if you don't mind waiting?" He turns to the kitchen. "Sorry if you wanted some protein, but I'm a vegetarian."

Jack looks over at an unaware Dan, "Oh don't worry I'm sure we can find me ... something..."

Dan feels a cold hand on each shoulder.

"Brr." Dan smiled and went to turn around, maybe Jack was finally starting to warm up to Dan's flirtations? He could certainly use some warming up.

The grip tightens, "Ah, ah, ah! You said I could eat here, and I'm hungry."

Now things were a little confusing, "Yeah, mi casa es tu casa." Dan opened his third eye with Jack's hands on his shoulders. There is playfulness, but also a deep feeling of self-disgust, but mostly…hunger.


	10. Team Ragamuffin 8

"Now hold still." Dan feels ice run down his spine, "This may sting a bit."

He bites down.

A small sharp sigh is the only exclamation Dan gives. Sure it hurt, but it wasn't particularly painful. However, it was too late to get his third eye closed. He was now struggling to stay afloat among his own scrambled thoughts and emotions along side Jack's to try and figure out what was going on, all while the memories of the canines in his neck imparted their history. It was absurd, but he went to his usual standby of banter to help calm himself down. Weakly he groans, 'Weird kinks ya got there." Was he…drinking?

Jack didn't respond only tightened his grip to keep Dan from making any sudden moves, didn't want to nick something important. He could feel his prey beginning to go slack; blood loss would do that.

Dan thought he should maybe be getting concerned when he started feeling light headed, it was difficult to tell if he was even getting light headed with everything else swamping his third eye. In slow motion, he was reaching for a grapple. As if he would even have the strength to do anything if his arms ever reached Jack. He felt like a noodle, and he couldn't focus his third eye on ANYTHING. Things were flowing into Dan just as easily as his blood flowed into Jack.

Jack's grip relaxed. His meal concluded. The teeth slide out of Dan's neck. He licks the 'hickey' to seal it.

The history of the bandana covering his eye, his shirt, necklace, underwear, the floorboards beneath his feet, Jack's hands still on his shoulders; he felt like he might throw up.

Jack noticed the smaller man seemed dizzy, "Whoa easy there little man." He drags Dan to the sofa. He collapses there, the sofa's history leaking in through his third eye. Everything was too close.

In a sort of mumble, "I don't feel so good...Too much...information..."

"Yeah... sorry about that. Thanks though." Jack say's stretching and cracking his neck, "Don't worry the nausea will wear off by tomorrow morning."

Dan pulls his gaze to Jack's, whose eyes are black with thin blood red irises. That did it. He hauled himself shakily off the couch and stumbled to the bathroom. As he goes, he rips of his bandana, pulls his shirt off, the necklace beneath it, even trips out of his pants. By the time he's in over the toilet he's in just his boxers violently evacuating his stomach, (hadn't he lost enough fluids already?!) taking care not to touch nothing but the floor.

The Vampire appears in the doorway, "Ah jeez, and this is why I don't feed on humans." He grabs a towel and puts it over Dan's shoulders, where his hands had just been.

Dan instinctively rips the towel away from his body. Its touch causes another wave of nausea.

"Easy there little man, let's get you to bed." Jack thought to himself, '_Never seen someone react like that before.'_

Dan lifts his head up. His dirty blond hair hung across his face in lazy waves. With three unfocused eyes he asks, 'Please...don't touch me."

"Okay, Okay...IS THAT AN EYE! What's up with the eye?!"


	11. Team Ragamuffin 9

Words were hard right now, standing was hard right now; come on Dan, CONCENTRATE, "I'm having...trouble focusing..." He pitched forward into the doorway. More psychometry, but he managed to keep his stomach from revolting this time, "Uuuuuuugggghhhhhhhh."

Jack slowly picked up Dan's clothes, "oh man what have I done?" He looked concerned.

The pale psychic stumbled out of the bathroom and plops down in the middle of his floor, hands covering all three eyes. His voice was weak, "Well that was fun."

"Heh. Oops, my bad?" He was still a little confused, but feeling less guilty now that Dan looked to be doing better. Honestly, the guy was taking this in remarkable stride, but he didn't appear to be your usual human either.

"So uhhh... vampire? Huh?" Is Dan's muffled question from behind his hands.

"I like living impaired, but Vampire, yes."

"That's a new one."

"Told ya, I bite."

"That's a common turn of phrase to us alive types. Thought you were just being kinky." Dan lowers his hands from his face and folds up into a full lotus, all three eyes closed, his face a forced calm, "…Still kinda was."

Jack raises an eyebrow and starts to laugh, "Dan you're a special kind of crazy *Jack sets his clothes down in front of him.

A deep inhale and exhale, "Yeah, not the first time I've heard that." another slow controlled breath, "You're a pretty odd cookie yourself. Just wish you'd warned me."

"Would you have let me do it?" He had to give the man credit for staying so laid back, but that just seemed to be this guy's style.

Dan's two 'regular' eyes slid open to their usual half lidded gaze, "I suppose so."

"... Sure you would."

"You doubt me?" His hand reaches up to touch the two wounds on his neck.

Jack turns to grab his coat, he felt better after feeding, but now things had gotten awkward. Jack stood there, a vampire. Dan sat, a man with three eyes, "I'll guess we'll have to do this again sometime..." After they both had figured out what the hell had just gone down.

Dan carefully got to his feet again. Things were leveling out after that rollercoaster, "Hah, at least you took me out first."

"I guess I did huh... "

"Well, Dan, take it sleazy..." Jack left with a cocky grin. He still felt like he would see Dan again.


	12. Team Ragamuffin 10

The weekend was over, and Dan was feeling more like himself. He'd done a lot more meditating than usual. And sure there was still a little apprehension at seeing Jack again, but Dan still trusted the son of a bitch. If he wanted him dead, he would have been. They each had their secrets that the other had stumbled on to, and there was an understanding in that. That and Dan actually needed his help.

*Ring*… *Ring*… *Ring*

A groggy voice picks up, "Whaaaaaaaa? Oh! Sup player?"

"Morning sunshine. Got something that might interest you. Besides, you owe me." If someone could wink over the phone, Dan could.

"I'm listening..."

"I got a new theory on an old case. I think it involves some of your 'brothers'."

Jack's tone shifts, all drowsiness evaporated, "go on..."

"Well, I was gonna head out on a prowl tonight. Try and pick up some more information. Care to join me?"

That playfully dangerous intent of Jack's could be felt through the phone, "Yes, lets go hunting."

"I like your enthusiasm Jack Attack." Dan wondered how serious that statement had been. I mean, he did mean 'biting' literally… "Meet me at out on the corner of Clinton and 57th. Shall we say…10? Get you filled in on all the juicy details."

"Sounds good, see you there."


	13. Team Ragamuffin 11

Dan strolled up about 10:30.

"You're late" He hears from behind him, and sees Jack calmly leaning against a wall.

"We're in no hurry. The night is young." The sleuth continues to stroll down the rougher neighborhood's street as if he has a general destination in mind.

Jack soon is by Dan's side. They both strolled along as if implied danger was an everyday thing, "So what's this job about?"

"Awhile back, I helped on a missing person's case, a little girl. I keep my eyes," All three of them Jack thought, "on the papers, police scanners, word on the street, and the like. There've been others fitting the same victim profile and circumstances. 13 years old, from middle class families. Latch key kids with no other siblings. I don't find 'em all...In fact, I've only found the one…" Dan tone gets more serious than his usual lazy chatter, "That's something I don't do…_not_ find something. I've been suspecting a human trafficking ring for months now." Jack's look is one of understanding, "Even if they were moving them outside the city, I should be able to figure it out. If the were killing the girls I'd be able to figure it out.

"So you suspect vampires?"

"They seem like a new and promising option. I don't know much about you guys, but they could be feeding off these girls, but I suspect there's still some kind of trafficking going on."

Jack's face twists into a snarl, "I've heard about feeding habits like this... Fucking Ventrue."

"Ventrue? Is that someone I should know?"

"More like vampire aristocrats. Bunch of stuck up little shits."

"Well, I never did care for the bourgeoisie. Do vampires have human slaves or something? Because the only people I ever dealt with on these cases were human, and they didn't know anything about any vamps. No memories, nothing.

"Ghouls... human puppets addicted to vampire blood."

"I still feel like that's something I would have picked up on..." He sounds a little disappointed in his abilities as a detective, "You guys have Jedi mind tricks you aren't telling me about?"

"They tend to have ways of making someone forget they like to play puppet master. You could be working with humans and they never even know they are working for vampires. It's all about the chain of command. You deal with the human, they deal with the ghoul, and the ghoul deals with the vampire."

They had made it outside a crummy building; it looked like it might be a bar? Shit rock music is leaking from behind the door, along with the stench of cigarettes, beer, and the dregs of humanity. Dan runs his hand over the door's face, "Looks like we're in luck. You get to meet one of them. This guy falls more into the 'slug' category though." He walks in.

"That could be any of them..." Jack follows behind nonetheless.

Once inside, Jack clutches Dan's shoulder tightly, his breathing suddenly elevated, "Dan, I'm not alone in here." He growls out.

There were only six other people in the bar, but four of them were vampires; three out in the tables and booths, and a woman at the end of the bar. The only humans were the bartender and two other customers.

It takes a moment or two, but Jack seems to loosen up. He looks like he is sweating lightly in the dim bar light, 'Warn me next time."

The animal half of his vampire self had nearly gone on a rampage when unexpectedly presented with so many vampires. It was a risk he constantly ran being of the Gangrel.

Dan gave a 'how the fuck was I supposed to know?' look, but also begins to languidly scan the bar. He may be able to recognize faces, but can't tell who is or isn't a vampire. It looked to be the normal crowd.

Dan motions his nervous friend to sit on the other side of an oily looking man at the bar with a strong Greek nose, "Did ya miss me, Slick? Still hanging around this old dump I see."

The man titled 'Slick' appears to be quite alarmed at the sudden appearance of Dan, along with the bartender. The only other human in the bar also perks up at Dan's presence, "Calm down, I'm not here to give you another ass kicking; unless you want it. " The sweaty man begins to perspire more profusely than before. He did look slick. His eyes kept darting from Dan's face, to his headband, over to Jack, and around the bar in general, "Just wanna talk. Like last time, remember?"


	14. Team Ragamuffin 12

Jack looks at the slimy man and sneers, "well don't you look like shit wrapped in a person suit..."

No one in the bar seems to be sure what to do except Dan, "Now, I know you gave me a little bit of information last time we got together, but let's be honest, they weren't the most favorable of conditions. I'm sure we can come to a better understanding this time around. What do you say, Marcus?" Dan has leaned uncomfortably close to the man's face. How he tolerates the stench of body odor, and cigarette smoke is beyond him. The other bar patrons start to shift about. This hasn't gone unnoticed by the boys.

Of particular initiative is the larger woman at the end of the bar. The man now named as Marcus continues to let his eyes bug out between Dan and the bandana, "DON'T TOUCH ME YOU FREAK!" The bar explodes into action.

Dan reels back in time to see the large woman lunging at Jack's back with exposed fangs, and the rest of the bar's patrons making a swift advance towards them through the tables and chairs, "You're fucking kidding me..."

A stake shoots out from Jack's coat hitting the bitch in the heart. A small crossbow falls to his hand to replace the stake, and the other grows claws.

Without such fancy things as stakes, crossbows, or claws, Dan grabs his trusty brass knuckles. Marcus has slunk off the barstool, leaving his interrogator to face three sets of angry teeth. He was pinned against the bar and not well off until the only friend with fangs staked the woman. One turned his attention to Jack, and the other went to help his impaled lady friend. The bartender had disappeared as well.

With only one opponent to worry about now, Dan started to take the upper hand, "Right under my nose the whole damn time weren't ya? Think you're gonna catch me flat footed?"

The barkeep reappeared with a shotgun. He may have had a gun, but was horribly confused and shocked by the situation. The same went for the other two humans.

Jack notices the vamp coming at him and quickly steps aside and clotheslines him. The other vampire pulls the stake out of the woman, and she quickly picks herself up. She was roughly 5' 10, heavy set, and very pissed off at Jack. Dan sees all this and can't help but laugh, "HA! Hell hath no fury like a woman staked! Hey, don't kill her Jack, we've got a date."

"Ugh, fine, but the others?"

Dan finally manages to knock the other vampire out with its teeth latched to his forearm, "I'm a pacifist, Jack Attack." He pries the teeth out of his arm with a grimace, and the body attached to it slumps to the floor, "You…don't strike me as such."

"Not in the slightest Danny Boy." He emphasizes this by viciously smashing the bitch in the face.


	15. Team Ragamuffin 13

Dan turned his attention to the bar tender, "Now there's no need for that". Jack didn't see how, but his little pal managed to get the gun off the bartender.

Marcus is the only one left standing. Somewhere during the fight, the only other human in the bar had fled the scene. Their original target was a few feet away pointing a small handgun into the fray. Dan's focus is finally on him, "Oh not this again. I thought we were past all that, Slick?"

Jack had the woman wrapped up in a headlock, "That the best you got?" He spots the other vampire trying to sneak up on him, and savagely slashes him across the neck with his claws, severing it in one blow. The man is laughing his ass off, "Dan you pick awesome fights!"

"I try to show my friends a good time." You could still tell he was a little annoyed at having them been under his nose the entire time. With this exchange, Marcus fires the gun into Jack's little melee. Four shots. One hits the now dead body, two into Jack, and the last into the snarling vampire woman. Dan takes this opportunity to lock up Marcus's arm and force him to drop the gun. His low center of gravity and years of experience kept 'his pal Slick' from going anywhere. "God damnit, that is my friend, and my next clue! Now if you would kindly apologize?!" A subtle shift of muscles across tender joints; Marcus squeals pathetically.

Dan himself was a little concerned by the bullet wounds, but Jack went on as if they had only been blanks being fired, "Wait a second, head count. 1…2…3...Where's the fourth ankle biter?"

Number four was trying to crawl away. A heavy foot is dropped on his back, "Never mind, found him!"

"Good." Marcus gets a good crack on the head. Dan drops the man ungraciously in a heap on the dirty bar floor, "Now, let's see what kinda stories this lovely madam here has to tell me?"

"Do we need both?" He motions to the vampire under his foot."

"I don't think so. Are you going to kill him? I usually let the law take care of things. This is just a little different than what I'm used to working with…"

"You shouldn't be here."

He looks at his blood still smeared around its mouth, "No, I'll be fine."

Jack's smiling but his eyes are cold. He puts his foot down through its head…hard.

Dan shudders internally as he watches the vampire die, the memories from his teeth still flashing through his mind, the wounds still bleeding. He tries to reclaim his usual nonchalance, and turns to the woman. With a sigh, he seems to prepare himself in some way, "If you play nice, I may have my friend here let you go. What's your name lovely lady?"

She is large and strong, but all she can do is thrash and screech in Jack's grip, "Let go of me you filthy sons of bitches! Can't leave your damn nose out of anything can you? You piece of shit detective! You really stepped in it this time! Bringing your dirty little friend to help fight for you! We're going to rip your throats out!"

"Dirty...hey I'll have you know I showered yesterday bitch!" Jack pulls the hold a little tighter.


	16. Team Ragamuffin 14

Dan's doing his best to ignore all the outside stimuli. He stuck a thumb in the middle of the bar woman's forehead, making sure her teeth couldn't reach him in anyway, "If I could kindly ask you to focus…Colene. You know what I'm looking for. Those little girls? What are you up to? I'd love to know if there's anyone with more information. Perhaps a boss?"

Her response was just a vehement as before, "I ain't telling you shit! Now let me go so I can suck your tiny body dry!" It had worked though, just by mentioning these things, she unconsciously began to think about them, making it that much easier for Dan to sift through the hatred and thirst that currently flooded her mind to the knowledge he wanted.

"I get the feeling you give a bad blowjob, so I'll have to decline. Thanks for the information though."

"What are you talking abou-!" Before she could finish, a fist had shut her up.

Investigation done, fighting finished, Dan shuddered. He looked at the mess they'd made, 'Thank pissing Christ that's over. I got a location though, along with some faces and names. More vampires…" He looks to his wounds now, grimaces, and starts to clean them as best he can, "I'm sorry, man, but I _really_ don't like vampires... You all right, Jack the Ripper? Took a couple of slugs yourself, didn't you?"

"Yeah, take more than that peashooter to put me down." As proof, he was digging the bullets out of his chest with his claws until he noticed his less undead companion's condition, "Oh come here you big baby."

"You aren't gonna bite me again?" Underneath the usual bantering tone, there is a genuine layer of fear.

"No... I get the feeling you like this though." Jack sighs again, still waiting.

Dan relents and approaches, "Not particularly. It's like being raped..."

"I said I'm not biting you, jerk." He takes Dan's arm and looks at it letting off a low whistle, "Really got you good there. Don't take this the wrong way…" Jack say's looking into Dan's eyes before literally licking the wounds closed. They were still painful and raw, but the bleeding was stopped.

"This I do like." It reminded Dan of a dog comforting a friend. He was more of a cat man himself, '…You saw my eye, right?"

"Well, yeah, but we all got our secrets. Wasn't gonna pry."

"You're a true gentleman, Jack. I let you in on my secret though, since you've shared a few of your own. I have this thing called psychometry. When I touch stuff I can see its history, for people it's memories, thoughts, emotions, stuff like that."

Jack straightens back up, just a little embarrassed at his actions.

Dan can see that, "Thanks pal."

He seems to be more embarrassed about something else, "So when I bit you… Oh jeez, sorry man..."

"Yeah, biting is a whole new level of touch. Especially when I have my eye open. Mix that with some blood loss, and maybe some shock, and I started losing control. I just wish you'd warned me. I was ready for these chuckleheads," He motions to the scattered bodies, "but pain is a powerful persuader. Every time one of you guys sinks your pearly whites into me, I can't stop that spilt second of psychometry. I get to relive every other thing you've sampled, all your hunger, and emotions, in the span of about half a second.

Jack cringes. He'd been on the other side of those cravings before, and to force them on someone else was bad.


	17. Team Ragamuffin 15

"So... where to now?" Jack was trying to steer the conversation back to the case at hand lest he dwell on what he did.

"Back to that barstool." Dan stretches himself over the bar and fills a glass from the tap. He sits down and grabs a long pull.

"You mind stepping out for a little while? Need to go to work." He cracks his neck, and tosses his jacket to Dan.

"Not gonna argue with that." He tops off the glass and strolls outside. He slides his back down the bar's outside wall and sits on the ground with his beer and Jack's coat. With nothing better to do, he leisurely rummages through the coats history. The worn out thing had seen a lot of blood and fighting, but a lot of tender care had gone into it. It spoke to Dan in some way.

Half an hour later, on the dot, Jack exits the bar cleaning his hands off on a red towel that Dan didn't think had started out that color. He's carrying a small drippy cardboard box.

"A gift? For me? You shouldn't have!" He gives back the jacket.

"Nope, this here is payment." He says tapping the lid, "Here's a gift for you though." *Jack tosses a small necklace at Dan. It's a small string with two fangs threaded through it. "For the first takedown."

Shaking his head, "I'm sorry man, but I don't think I can ever wear this. Hope you understand." He does pocket it.

"I get it."

"Well, if you want to keep rolling, we can swing by an ice-cream parlor."

His smile tells Jack that he knows something he doesn't. He was cool with it, "Lead the way good man. Just gotta wait for pick up on these bad boys along the way."

They take off down the quiet streets, Dan leading the way. A quick hop on the 'L' and another short walk puts them in a retail district outside the dark storefront of an ice cream shop and cafe.

As they got closer, Dan muttered half to himself, half to Jack, "There haven't been any kidnapping in a couple months, so I'm not sure if there's going to be much activity. There's gotta be something though, right? Nice and fucked up how they use an ice cream joint to traffic little girls. Going to knock the block off of whoever's heading this, vampire or human."

"As long as we catch the pricks... not too fond of these kind of people myself."

The detective cases the place, "So, if there are vampires, does that mean there's other supernatural stuff out there as well?"

"Your guess is as good as mine met a few werewolves in the past and some pesky witches... but who knows what else is out there. I mean, dude, you got three eyes; you're not exactly normal yourself. But hell, I'm a vampire, so who am I to judge?"

Pause, nod, shrug, "Guess you got me there. I've just never met anyone else not 'normal', if you catch my drift. Now you guys are everywhere all of a sudden. I might have three eyes, but I feel pretty blind for never having noticed any of this before. Pretty sad excuse for a detective."

Jack pulls Dan into his side with a one armed hug, "Yep, welcome to the darker side of the World."

The welcome had something of an ominous air to it. Like once you were in there was no getting out. Dan smiled up at Jack regardless; at least he wasn't there alone.


	18. Team Ragamuffin 16

A very conspicuous limo slowly rolls down the street, streetlights slipping over its immaculate surface. It stops in front of the parlor. Jack walks over to it and knocks on the window, "Open up doc."

The black tinted window rolls down to reveal an older looking gentleman with a disgruntled look on his face, "Yez? Vaht iz it?" His accent was heavy and probably German.

"Whatever, good to see you too, jerk." He passes the soppy package through the car window. The man gingerly takes it, touching as little of it as possible, "Here, presents for you. Keep them on ice... oh don't look at me like that. We both know what we can do… No I don't need Ivan… Whatever, fuck you to." The man dismisses Jack with a wave. The window glides up, and the limo pulls away again. "Lovely bloke ain't he? So how are we doing this, silent or loud?"

"You know some interesting people, Jack. I was thinking the quiet way, since I don't feel like becoming someone's midnight snack."

"Good plan. Plus, they may have victims still."

Dan heads around the back, he touches the entrance there, "Here we go. Is there anyway I could get a hand with this?" There's a deadbolt on it.

"Well, maybe? Let me take a look."

"If you're actually going to try and pick it, then leave it to me. I was hoping for more vampire tricks." It takes a few minutes, but it eventually clicks open. He didn't do it often, but Dan had done a B and E or two.

Door now open, they crept in. Through psychometry, Dan knew that no one had been in or out of the building since closing time. Even so, someone could still be waiting inside. He began by doing some good old-fashioned detective work, and touching major surfaces.

"Got anything?" Jack is scanning around, his eyes not needing to adjust to the dark.

Simultaneously, the being with night vision taps the sleuth on the shoulder to point out, "Yeah, we got a door here."

Something felt wrong; years of contract killing gave Jack as sort of sense about these things. He stopped Dan, "Hold on. Something's not right."

In a calming whisper, "Everyone that's come in through the doors, has left through the door, trust me. Unless they came through that one," He points the to hatch at their feet and touches it with his psychometry, "Which they haven't. There's no one here. Relax, Jack Attack."

He still couldn't shake that uneasy feeling, "Trust me Dan something bad is in there."

"Nothing to it but to do it."


	19. Team Ragamuffin 17

"I'll go first..."

"Do the honors."

Both of them knew who was the more resilient. Jack melts into a fog and seeps through the door.

"Wait! What... dude that is awesome!"

Beneath the floor, there is a pitch-black hallway. Lack of light made no difference to vampire eyes. It was about three people wide and seven feet tall. Lights hung overhead, but they were turned off at the moment, possibly a supply tunnel? It led back in the direction of the door that they'd just broken into above. He turned back and pops the door open, "All clear here.

Dan drops down off the ladder into the dark. Jack is waiting for him, "Look, before we go any further, here." He hands Dan the small crossbow from earlier.

"Really? I've never fired anything in my life. I don't know how to use this thing. I can't even fire up a grill! Like I said, Jack, I'm a pacifist."

"You brought me along, okay? Now, those fists work pretty well against those rookies back there...but what if there's something else around here, and what if, whatever it is, is older? Trust me man they are smarter than that. I don't care if, after the first shot, you stand around making gun noises, but seriously, I'm not burying you too."

Not much of that had made sense, but Dan had read Jack's coat, read his fangs, he knew this man had buried quite a few, "All right, but I'm not about to bury anyone myself. Let's go."

Missing the point, he smirked and pulled out a gun, "Trust me, I ain't easy to kill." With a trained hand, the firearm leads the way.

"Jack, where are you? I'm blind down here"

"I got point, Just keep moving forward once your eye's adjust."

They walk down that hall for roughly a block or so. It was hard to tell. At the end stood a metal door much more heavily secured then the back alley entrance they'd already cracked. Jack presses an ear to it. Silence. It's a thick door, and not much is happening on the other side. Maybe a soft sound here and there, but nothing distinguishable. He steps back to examine it instead. It take up the entire wall of the hallway, and it opens out. Perfect. The gun gets holstered, and the claws come back. Slowly and carefully, he begins to pop the hinges.

While Jack occupies himself, Dan places a hand on the door. His third eye told him that no one had used it tonight or even earlier in the day, but it's been in by some of the bastards he's looking for, along with flashes of little girls' faces.

There's only one hinge left, "Ready?" Jack whispers.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Dan hefts the crossbow awkwardly.

The man with the experience sighs and quickly adjusts his rookie's hands, "Okay, _now_ you're ready. On my signal."

Three claws…

Two claws…

Once claw…

And he pops the last hinge.


	20. Team Ragamuffin 18

The hinge hits the floor and Jack throws the door open with inhuman strength. The room inside had just one lamp lit and one confused as hell guy sitting in a chair in front of some computers. Dan didn't know if he was a vampire or not. From one vampire to another, Jack did. The rest of the room was taken in with trained detective's eyes. Two more doors, another reinforced one like the one they'd just opened, and a more 'normal' looking one off to the right. He darted in and K.O.d the man in the chair with a back fist to the back of the head before he could find out whether he was human or not.

Jack walked in, "Metal door first?"

"Jesus...yeah..." On the screens the man had been watching was a room. It was large, all plush and girlishly decorated in pastels and lace. Three fuzzy figures were playing with some dolls with each other.

"Only three..."

"What's in the other room?"

"_Three_ of the nineteen girls I was telling you about." Dan fishes to find the keys on the unconscious guard, 'Take a look for yourself."

Jack goes to do just that, "What's behind door number two?"

"Don't know." He's going to open the door, "A new car?"

The fuzzy images of the girls on camera rings warning bells in Jack's head, "No, wait."

The door swings open, and Dan steps in, "Hello? Hey guys. It's gonna be okay." His tones are soft and soothing. He's always had a way with kids, "We're here to get you out. Come one now. It's okay. My name is Dan."

"Dan, back up slowly..."

The girls have gotten up and moved towards Dan; one has even gone to take his hand, "What's up?" His eyes, all three, go wide when she finally grasps his hand. He's realized too late what the warning meant, and is dragged into the room.


	21. Team Ragamuffin 19

Jack sprung into action, "Hey back the hell off!" He rushes the room, snarling and showing feral dominance, "Step Back!"

The scene he encounters is of Dan holding one back with the crossbow, her little teeth chewing at the air above his face. The girl that was holding his hand is now latched to it and pinned to the floor. The third has sunk into his neck. There is wildness to them, that responds to Jack's more powerful presence. They retreat to a corner of the room cowering, whimpering, and licking the blood off themselves and each other. Dan drags himself up off the floor.

"You okay? Sorry dude, should I have known..."

"God DAMN IT!" Ignoring his wounds, he stares intently at the three forms huddled in the corner.

"What?"

"They're practically animals...The things they have them do..."

Jack began to let out a low growl, "Dan, what did you see?" He reigns himself in when he realizes it's scaring the girls.

"This is a brothel, Jack…" Dan shuddered.

The surroundings took on a dirtier air once those words were free. Touching anything with his psychometry in this room was gut wrenching.

"Okay, ground rules." The authority in Jack's voice snags the girls' attention, "This is a friend, NOT food!" He pops into a seated position in front of them. The change in his tone nearly caused whiplash, "So what are your names sweeties?"

The man who had been psychically connected to them rests a hand on his naïve friend's shoulder, "They're not human anymore, Jack. Feral. Running off pure instinct alone."

They seem to have understood Jack's command to leave Dan alone, though they still eye his open wounds hungrily. They inch forward cautiously, staying together. They begin to examine Jack, and then start fawning over and nuzzling against him. Jack is slightly confused by the reaction, "Dan', I'm gonna use my secret technique here. Go and check on our friend outside please."

"What are you going to do, Jack?" He still didn't know this guy well enough to leave him alone.

"It's embarrassing..." The man would be blushing if he could.

"We'll try it your way first, but I'm not going anywhere. Besides, can't be any more embarrassing than me getting beat up by some thirteen year old girls?" He was trying to add some humor to the situation, but it tasted sour. The girls' memories still hung fresh in his mind.

"Yes, it can…fine." He hands his coat over again and seems to stretch, only to drop back down to all fours, "Back up."

There's a lot of cracking and popping sounds. Jack's body begins to mutate and rearrange itself...soon it stops and in his place is a pitch black husky with a large scar across his face to match the one Jack wore himself.


	22. Team Ragamuffin 20

The girls stare wide-eyed before squealing and tackling the dog.

"That's cute, Jack Attack. More of a cat guy myself, just adorable." He cautiously moves towards the closest girl, there is tension on his face. He doesn't want to go back in there, but he knows he has to, "It's all right hon, play with the puppy." She hisses and recoils at his outstretched hands but does not retaliate, Jack's earlier command was clear, "That's a good girl." Dan closed his eyes and touched either side of her face. She froze immediately. A few minutes pass and sweat begins to break out across Dan's face. The girl is slowly drifting off to sleep, his hands cradling her head. The husky that was Jack cocked his furry face inquisitively in that way that dogs do. After fifteen minutes, she was completely unconscious. Dan removed his hands, and exhales heavily. His breathing is short. He takes off his bandana and wipes his face off and wounds. The third eye on his head is bugging out; wide open and staring dead ahead. It snaps its focus on the next girl. He softly cradles this little ones face as he did the last, and he goes to work again. The same long process until she is sleeping peacefully next to her companion. Finally, girl three. When they are all three curled up together, Dan is severely winded and drenched in sweat.

He didn't even notice the sickening bodily cracks and pops of Jack transforming back, "Tell me how bad? … DAN!"

"Sorry… I think they're okay now. Won't know until they wake up." Dan flops down onto the cushioned floor, "They've been through so much. Basically gave up to that animal side. I did my best to erase or seal up the memories. I don't actually mess with people's minds. It's tough…"

"You did good though. _Now_ it's time to play. Let's go Dan."

"Wait, where are we going? What if I don't like the game we're playing? What about the girls?"

"It's called twenty questions; with our guest." He motions to the unconscious vampire outside the door.

"Okay, I know how to play that one."

"With a chain saw."

"You can turn into a chainsaw?!" Dan was mentally exhausted and not on top of the curve.

"No but we can get one."

"Oh…let's use what we have on hand, ay? I get the feeling we don't have much time."

"But…chainsaw…fine" Jack walks out and sits the man upright in the chair. He looks at him for a second before backhanding him hard across the face, "Wakey wakey sunshine!"

The man groggily begins to come to, "wha-"

"_We_ are gonna play 'What's the Answer'. Rules are simple. If you answer correctly or truthfully, you live. You lie? Well, let's save that outcome for later. First question, who do you work for?

"I-I don't know…"

"Ehhhhhh wrong answer." A claw slowly inserts itself into the man's leg.

"AHH! Seriously I don't know! I just sit here and make sure they play nice! I don't ever see anyone else! I SWEAR! OH GOD!"

The claw stays where it is, "Who are the clients then?"


	23. Team Ragamuffin 21

Dan was afraid the man's screams would attract unwanted attention, but mostly he could hardly bear to hear them, "Hold on, I got this." He steps forward. The bandana isn't on his head anymore, but tied around his neck over one of his bite wounds. He'd been feeling less of a need for discretion in a room with two vampires.

Psychometry gets some faces, even a name, but he was too beat to do much else.

"Got anything Dan?"

"At least three regulars." One for each girl Dan thought vehemently, "One of 'ems Richard O'Dell. All three vampires I'm pretty sure. Right now we're below a cigar shop."

He turns back to the man he's pinning to the chair, "What is your name?!" Twists the claw to add a point.

"Fuck! Ernie! FUCK!"

"Ernie what!"

Dan pipes in, "Moffat…"

"Well,_ Bert_, we are sure having fun huh?"

"Oh FUCK YOU!"

"Now the last question... " Jack leans down to stare into his eyes, and the next part comes out as a growl. The red eyes that Dan first saw are burning into Ernie Moffat, "Did you do anything to those girls?"

Beyond the pain, he now visually fears for what might happen to him, "No man! They'd kill me if I did! This is just a job!"

Still not an answer Jack wanted to hear, "Just a JOB?! I kill people, and I'm not low enough to do this." The claw frees itself from the man's thigh, "No, this job…" He encases the man's face with the talons that are now his fingers, "just cost you your life."

Jack begins to pull. Beneath his claws, Ernie squirms, but it's too late. He pulls and pulls till it simply pops off.

There is a wet tearing noise as his head is severed, "Mother of God, Jack!"

"God ain't here Dan...Just us." He drops the head in its lap.

"I'm as much of an atheist as the next man, but...He uses that..." It struck him, the lack of mess that an undead body made.

"Now he's not. Got enough strength to start carrying the girls out?"

"I've got to don't I? Where are we taking them?"

"Back to the ice-cream shop, I'm gonna leave a message."


	24. Team Ragamuffin 22

"Well of course to the ice-cream shop, I was thinking more along the lines of after. They're still vampires. We can't take them to a hospital, or even back to their homes. And what kind of message are you sending? We're already on those cameras, and I don't want some vampires 'out for blood', if you know what I mean?"

"…I'll take 'em" Jack looked a little stunned by what he's just proposed, "The kids, I mean. You're right, we can't send them back. They're not gonna age, and never will. How do you explain to people that your daughter's isn't growing? Plus, the hunger…you have to train that."

"Poppa Jack"

"Shut up, Dan. Start getting to work, I don't want them seeing this if they wake up."

Dan lets it go and hefts two of the girls. One in each arm. He might have been short, and tired, but he could still haul some prepubescent girls around, "I'll be back for the last one in a minute."

On his way back he runs into Jack with the last little girl, the one with blonde hair, "Let's go."

"Sorry man, I have to go back. Can't do my job if I don't investigate the scene of the crime.

Jack mumbles, "okay dude. Oh, I also pulled the camera footage."

"Perfect!" Dan calls over his shoulder.

Back in the room, he's greeted with a gruesome scene. Jack had used Ernie's body to defile the girl's room and leave a tag of some kind on the wall. He does his best to clean up any evidence of them being there, and collect any other information he could use. There wasn't much. He could barely stand to touch anything in the den of sin. The only concerning thing was his blood on the floor, that was probably gonna come back to bite him in the butt...literally. With any luck, no one would notice it over the number that Jack had done to the place.

Back down the hallway he notices that the girls are now awake.

Jack greets him, "I called the Doctor. We're riding back in style, fuck walking."

"Like the sound of that." He approaches just a little more warily, "How ya little ladies feeling?"

They seem confused and scared, they should be; they're missing some memories. Their new guardian answered for them, "They're fine, I'm pissed."

"And I'm Dan, nice to meet you all. Now lets get out of here." He leads the way back up the ladder.

"One of them called me papa puppy. Some how that seems like it was your doing... I just know it." He's staring daggers into the psychic's back.

Dan smirks. Didn't matter how exhausted he was, he would never let go of his sense of humor.


	25. Team Ragamuffin 23

Back in front of the ice cream parlor, the same limo from before was pulling up. The snarky German wasn't occupying it this time.

Dan opens the door and ushers the girls inside, he claps Jack on the back and climbs in after him, flopping down heavy in the seat, "Well that was fun...Please tell me I'm the only one who's hungry?"

"Oh god, Dan." Jack finally takes in his pal's condition. He taps the girl who had been the one to do it, her mouth still stained red with the blood from his neck, and whispers something to her.

She approaches Dan, looking nervous. Hesitantly, she reaches up and undoes the bloody makeshift ascot. Dan tenses up as her small fingers work out the knot. She sets the ruined cloth in his lap and moves in to seal the wounds she had caused.

Dan's face is pinched shut. He had been in her mind, he knew what was there, and he knew how good vampire 'kisses' felt.

She finishes and sits back down. Dan lets out the breath he was holding.

Her new guardian gives her a pat on the head, "Good girl. Now remember, Uncle Dan is not food... unless Daddy is angry then go ahead..."

"Just gonna pretend like you don't actually mean that." He closes his eyes, "I like the sound Uncle Dan."

Everyone else in the vehicle relaxes.

"You will…up until you have to do babysitting duty."

"Better have them potty trained by then."

Jack signals and one of the girls smacks Dan, "Good Girl."

They ride off into the night. Dan's sleeping butt got kicked out in front of his apartment to leave the new family to get acquainted and settled in.


	26. Team Ragamuffin 24

It had been a little under a month. For the most part, Dan was giving Jack and his three young wards some time to get adjusted, but he kind of missed the little shit. An easy job had turned up, so he'd given Jack a call.

His pal had shown up later that evening, "You said we had another mission, Danny Boy?"

"Just something I thought you'd be suited for."

"...What?" He was giving a wary eye because the last adventure they had gone on was seriously FUBAR.

"Relax, I'm taking a break from all you blood suckers. It's just a little case I picked up, made me think of you."

Jack interrupted, "Hold that thought." He fishes something from his pocket. It's even gift wrapped, "Got you this."

"Geez Jack, you're spoiling me." Dan makes an overly dramatic act of being bashful. The vampire tooth necklace still hangs on his bathroom mirror. He opens it.

It's a leather dog collar with metal studs, "Ran into a few people wearing these. Then I realized it's other purpose."

With a touch, Dan immediately understands its potential and purpose, but he had to make the joke, "Likin the pet play, but we're gonna have to get you a muzzle."

"Dan, how do I put this gently? You got your ass bit so many times last time we 'hung out'…it was kind of funny, but mostly pathetic. Look, it's to keep from being bit in the neck by vampires. I've heard them called fangbusters. I could go and get the girls if you want to…test it out…" Jack is containing his laughter; remember the ass whooping they gave Dan.

"Don't worry, I know, and that _won't_ be necessary. Shouldn't need them today, the girls or the fangbuster. Just gonna be walking an easy beat today. How are the little ladies?"

"Great! They are so awesome. Just like me." Pride beamed from his face, "Just the other day, a creep was a little too close to Izzy, and before I could react, Hanners had punched the dude. Dropped him like a ton of bricks." He punches the air to show off the skills he no doubt had taught them.

They were taking the streets block by block. Dan was keeping his eyes peeled, "How about their memories?"

"They don't remember much, thank you by the way, but they do still have nightmares from time to time...I'm teaching them as much as I can. They're starting to learn to speak more, and read too! Soon they'll surpass me. Hell little Esme already stumps me sometimes."

"Sorry bout the dreams, I don't actually mess with people's minds that often."

"No, it was for the best. Look, they could have been far worse, plus that wasn't you, they were feral for far to long."

"Just gotta worry about your parenting skills now." Dan jokes.

"Oh shut up! I love kids... they'll just never be bullied... ever. Trust me, they fight well as a team." Jack massages his jaw. "They hit hard for thirteen year olds, man."


	27. Team Ragamuffin 25

Dan enjoyed kids as well, even undead ones, "I should take them for the day sometime...or night I suppose?"

"Already planning on that, but they aren't ready, and neither are you. Gotta toughen you up."

"I am plenty tough, like a twenty-five year old jerky!" He veers off into an alley.

"Sure you are... Am I gonna have to lick your wounds again, like a baby cat?"

"Stop thinking about licking me, Jack, we got work to do." Work consisted of rummaging through an overturned garbage can at the moment, "Good, she was here not too long ago."

"Uh... what?" Jack wasn't sure what they were actually doing; he was along for the ride. He hadn't seen Dan in awhile.

"Come on, I think there's a park nearby."

"Lead the way Columbus."

The park did indeed exist. The discovered it about six blocks over. It was only a small one, and quiet this time of night. Only one other pair of people were off walking with a flashlight across the way. Dan took note of them. He starts touching the bases of trees, signposts, benches, and the like, "So how about that dog form of yours, huh? No bat?"

"I can do that too, but you seem like the kind of guy to like that too much."

"I'm a man who likes a little bit of everything." Dan could tell Jack still squirmed from his flirtations, which amused him to no end. He didn't think he'd ever actually get anywhere, but hell, it was fun. Not to be distracted from his work though, He kept touching the bases of objects in a general path following the couple with a flashlight. That was, until Dan seemed to find something more interesting and veered off into the park, "What can you not do you magic man?" He throws a smile over his shoulder.

Jack looks amused and mutters back, "Says the guy with three eyes."

As they venture deeper into the park, Dan starts to make small kissing sounds and softly calling out, "Lorelei? Here Lori." *smooch smooch* "Here girl." He's crouched to the ground, fingertips brushing the grass, slightly adjusting his path every now and again.

"Ummmmm… You okay there, dude?"

"Shh!" It's hissed out almost as a dog command. He continues to track through the grass calling for a Lorelei. The flashlight is looping its way around the park again, "Hey, there you are girl!" Dan's tone is still soft and gentle; he's slowly approaching some playground equipment, "Come here little lady."

Jack slowly follows. Something odd was going on.


	28. Team Ragamuffin 26

Moving closer to the playground, Jack makes out the quivering form of a dog huddled beneath the equipment. Its scared eyes stare at the both of them, and it's body quivers. It seems to catch the scent of something, gives a sharp yelp, and bolts. There is only a blur that streaks out. It's a greyhound, or at least the backside of one, as it is currently bolting away through the park.

"Oh Hell! Tally ho there, Jack!" Dan shouts as he glances over at the flashlight beam now pointed in their direction, and takes off after the dog as fast as his little legs can carry him, "Whoa, Lassie!"

A shout rises up behind them. It looked like the other pair in the park were following suit.

"What are we doing here, Dan?!"

"We're at the races!" He shouts back from his lead on Jack. "Don't loose that dog!"

Skill and practice guide Jack through the equipment, not slowing him down, "Don't worry about me, Little Man, worry about yourself!" He says this while passing up Dan.

In no time, they charge out of the park; dog first, then Jack, after came Dan, and then the two strangers, a car that seems pretty interested in what they're doing turns the corner and begins to bring up the end of the parade.

"We need to stop her!"

Jack quick glances back at Dan, making calculations in his head. He slows and waits for Dan to catch up. He wanted to get the dog so bad? Without breaking stride, he scooped his friend up, "Dan! You Ready?"

"Ah, look at my night in shining armor come to sweep me off my feet! ...Wait, ready for what?"

"This!" Jack stutter steps and hurls Dan at the dog, "FLY DAN FLY!"

Airborne, He is obviously alarmed, but shouts out nonetheless, "Thinking happy thoughts here, Jack!" Dan crashes down on his feet just ahead of the dog, but continues to crash, from the force of the landing, down on top of the Lorelei's hindquarters as she tries to skitter by. The terrified dog gives a sharp yelp, but Dan isn't letting go, "Calm down girl, it's gonna be alright. Shhhhhh. Shhhhhhhhhhhhh." She hasn't calmed down much, but Dan has her in his arms now.

Jack pulls up, "You fly pretty good, Rocket Dan." He looks back at the incoming people, "We got company."

The car and the pair of runners pull up alongside; the chase was over. Dan stands up with the dog. A man roughly around Dan's age opens the door of the car and stand, the couple chasing on foot seem to be teenagers, a boy and girl, somewhere in the seventeen to nineteen age range. The man from the car speaks, "You caught her! Oh thank you, been looking all day for our baby!"

Dan looks to Jack and back to the three new arrivals, "Sorry, but I know the real owner, and I swear on my missing shoe" a barefoot proved he'd lost it sometime during their sprint, "that if anything other than this dog bites me tonight, I will loose the other one in someone's ass."

Jack smirks and hands Dan his lost shoe, "Flew off when you did, bud."

"Thank you" He drops it on the ground and slips it back on, "My prince returning the glass slipper."

The three watch this exchange. The girl speaks now, "What are you talking about old man, we just want our dog back."

The boy now, "Yeah, he's got a big day tomorrow."


	29. Team Ragamuffin 27

"Now hold up. I did not just throw this dude because I felt like it." Though Jack kind of had, "What ever he says goes. So back off, or I'll carry out his threat."

The man standing in the open door of the car wanted to take control of this situation, "I see three of us and two of you, so that would make the dog ours. Larissa, Kyle, if you would please get our dog and get in the car, we'll leave this couple to whatever it was they were doing in the park before we arrived."

Jack cracks his knuckles and shrugs his coat and beanie off, "Hold onto that dog, Dan" He bends down and takes off the flip-flop Dan had just put back on.

Larissa and Kyle moved towards them. The man re-entered the car. The 'kids' seem a little intimidated, but not entirely, they both had a good four to six inches on the boys. While Jack is focusing on the teens, Dan sees the man begin to rummage in the glove box, "Come on Jack, they're just kids." The man steps out again with a leash and a small handgun, "Oh come on! It's a dog! I'm sure you don't need the money that badly! What are you up to? Illegal dog races? Trying to earn some fast cash? Lorelei's been retired for over a year. It wasn't even a good plan to start with!"

Doubt is cast into all three pairs of eyes. This small man had seemed to figure out their plans.

While they're contemplating that, Jack strikes first, quick across the face, hitting the young boy with the floppy shoe, "Did you just hit me in the face with a..." The boy doesn't get to finish as a fist is buried in his gut knocking the wind out of him.

The girl is quicker to action. She lands a solid hit on Jack's face. His resilient body barely moves, just slowly stares her down. She is immediately regretting it, so stunned she doesn't notice her fist is still attached to his cheek, "My own girls hit harder than you... and they're thirteen." He didn't mention that they were vampires, but still, that was pathetic.

Jack then, still with the shoe, backhands her on her ass. He turns his attention back to the older man, "So what was that about…" 'BANG'

The crack of the gun put looks of victory on the three's faces...until, "OUI! That was uncalled for." Jack says, looking at the bullet hole in his undead chest.

Dan is shaking his head, the dog is squirming violently after the action and gunshot, "Why does it always end with guns? Can't we all just get along? Let's all just sit down and pet the dog."

"Dan, they just shot me...No." Larissa and Kyle are stunned on the pavement. The man isn't sure whether to shoot again or not. "Now I'm pissed. Get your asses over here punks, Jack's opening a whole world of whoop ass!"

They bolt to the car, and the man empties the gun into Jack to help them escape. The car screeches away in haste.

"I think you might have spooked them..." He has a tight grip on the panicking greyhound whimpering and yipping in his arms.


	30. Team Ragamuffin 28

"Yeah, well they shot me, Dan. All I did was beat them down with a shoe."

"_My_ shoe" He takes the flip flop back a second time, "Don't worry, I got the plates of the car. The police can handle them. You wanna see this happy ending though?"

"Uhhhhhhh sure?"

Dan pulls some an old thin rope out of his pocket and fashions a leash for Lorelei, who is still terrified and quivering, but secured no. The three of them stroll back through the park and across the city, looking to the entire world like a normal pair of people out walking their dog in the middle of the night. They end up in an upper middle class residential area. The house they stop outside is quaint itself, but the lawn was straight out of better homes and gardens. Dan walked up to ring the doorbell.

"Who lives here, Dan?"

"My client, obviously."

"That's…vague."

At the doorbell's alarm, a chorus of barking rises up from inside. An older woman with short white hair and a grandmotherly face answers, "Who is it? Oh Mr. Grovesner!" A pack of all different kinds of dogs is yipping, milling, and wagging behind her, "You found my little Lorelei!"

"Grovesner?"

Dan ignores his cohort, "Yep, found her off in the Hermosa Park, scared and alone. Thought I'd bring her home."

"And I helped." Jack said hugging Dan with one arm and that cocky grin of his.

"Well, why don't you come in and I'll..." She eyes the 'helper'. The dogs loose some of their enthusiasm, and few even begin to growl, "Isn't that nice. Why don't you wait out here while I get Mr. Grovesner his payment? The dogs don't seem to care for you dearie." She ushers Dan inside leaving jack alone on the stoop with the efficiency only a woman her age could master.

"Aww, but you seem so nice…" Jack is left saying to himself, alone on the front step looking like a kicked dog himself.

Dan reappears five minutes later. His client and her dogs close behind, "Take care dearie. Thank you again! And _stay out of trouble_."

"Anytime, anytime. You take care yourself." He claps Jack on the shoulder and turns him back down the front walk.


	31. Team Ragamuffin 29

On the stroll back home, "She really smelt of dogs Dan."

"Yeah, makes sense now that I know she's a werewolf."

"...Huh…Well, that explains the not liking me."

"She was 'concerned about the company I was keeping'" He gives Jack a nudge.

"Hey, I'm great company!"

"I know pal. I told her could take care of myself."

"Yeah... sure you can" Jack rolls his eyes, "So why did they want the dog?"

"Those three from earlier? They stole Lorelei a few days back. My guess is they wanted to un-retire her.

"... So that was a dog, and not some chick you were holding?"

Unfamiliar with werewolves, Dan didn't get it for a minute, "Oh! No. She rescues them; they're her pack now. Lorelei is a retired racing greyhound. What is that dog part of you thinking, Jack? I think you took a few too many bullets back there."

"No just wondering, and I don't see you getting shot. Maybe I should change that?"

"I would love to get shot by you, a shot of tequila."

The summer night was quiet and perfect as they walked along, in no real hurry to get anywhere.

"Hey, you remember Marcus, right?"

Dan's face registered no recognition, "uh…"

"That weasley dude from the bar?"

"Oh yeah! Slick!"

"Well, I may have framed him for the bar job last time we saw him, so you may need a new rat."

"Pfft, no rat of mine. I had to deal with him the first time I went looking for those missing girls. Figured he might have been hiding something. What did you do you sly mutt?"

Jack has the look of the cat that ate the canary, "May have put his prints on the gun, made it look like he was doing a corpse... Nothing much."

Dan's laugh fills the block.

"So, werewolves huh?"

Dan recollects himself, "Can't say I'm surprised. Gave me a better impression of the species than vampires have. Look at me; I can't even get away from all you supernatural goonies for one day. How many of there are anyway." Dan smiles at Jack, his words aren't meant to harm.

"Let's see, 1... 28... 32... umm hmmm..." Jack is counting on his fingers, "I don't know. I _whole _lot."

With some heavy sarcasm, Dan replies, "I look forward to meeting every single one of them."

There is just as much sarcasm returned from Jack, "Sure you do."


	32. Team Ragamuffin 30

"What would you say to some drinks? I just got paid." Dan gives a mischievous grin and pats his pocket, "The night is still young."

"Yay, I get to carry home a lush whoopie. You do realize every bar we've been to something bad happens?"

"Third times a charm? You deserve to take a load off yourself."

Jack shrugged, "Lead the way my good sir."

Dan takes Jack to a small hole in the wall. It's just a door, no neon or sign on the outside to let the public know that a drinking establishment resided here. The bar itself is tiny and more lounge like. It's a tidy little place though with an old jukebox in the corner playing jazz music, and a little smoke lingering in the air. Dan seems very familiar with the few patrons there, and the bartender.

"What is this place?"

"It's Rhode's." Dan waves to the man behind the bar, "Evening there Rhodes!"

"Heya Dan!"

"And I'm, Jack!"

Rhodes greets Jack warmly. A friend of Dan's seemed to be a friend of his, "Evening, Jack. Need anything?"

"It's on Dan. Right, Dan?"

The barkeep has already begun fixing up two old fashioneds, "So the usual then?"

"You know it, Rhodey." He calls out as the two take a booth.

"Dapper music and old fashioneds... you trying to butter me up Dan?"

Rhodes chuckles as he brings over the drinks, "He's on to you already, Danny Boy."

"What can I say, Rhodes, you run a classy joint. Speaking of which, you mind?"

"Not at all, knowing you, you need it." He returns to the bar and picks up a book.

It's just the boy now in their booth, "Need what? A good fight?"

"No man, you need to relax every once in a while. Not everything is about ripping peoples heads off. Besides, Friday is fight night. I'm talking an actual joint."

"Oh," He stares at Dan, "Okay, so we came here to get high…"

"We came here to kick back. I wanted to show you around a little, maybe a good time in the process. You don't do that too often do you?" He lights the blunt.

"Nope, work most of the time as a freelancer. Not much time to relax. I mean, I try to enjoy the little things when I can, but now, with the girls, everything is changing."

"I'm freelance to there, Jacky Boy. Take a leaf out of my book." To demonstrate he slowly exhales thick smoke and takes a drink.

"Dude, your book is a comic...a 4 page comic."

"I like to think of it more as a pulp noir." With the music and smoke hanging around the bar, the scene could have been. It just needed to be in black and white.

"...Sorry, too much of a hippy, man, but nice try."

"Hang around a little longer, maybe you'll change your mind."

"We'll see."


	33. Team Ragamuffin 31

Jack was having fun here giving Dan crap. Dan himself didn't particularly mind, he'd mind less in a few minutes, "So tell me about yourself, Jack."

"Well, I was a drifter and an artist before well... you know." He points to his shoulder with the ugly scar.

"An artist!"

"Then it was pretty much me against the world until I joined the outfit out here."

"Maybe, if you stopped fighting the world, it wouldn't be against you. I think dying isn't much of a reason to stop doing what you love."

"No but being chained to a wall and forced to become an animal will change you."

"Well, new jack isn't too bad either. How long have you been like this anyway? You barely look over twenty. Could be kid."

"I was twenty three when I died in 2010."

"Oh hell, then you're my senior! What's your secret? Such youthful looks."

"I…Died." Jack is staring at Dan with a 'really?' look.

Relaxing in the booth, "No lotions, no daily routines, just death. Quick, call up cover girl. Phone Maybalene, because they will kill for your secret. Literally, since you have to die."

"Dan, you know I beat people with just a shoe earlier? I'm pretty sure I can make you eat said shoe."

"My shoe would never betray me like that."

"It won't...I will." Jack threatened.

"I trust you man." And he did.

"Damn it... my good nature. Then how about you Mr. Three Eyes?"

"What do you wanna know? I'm am open book. Least I can do for constantly prying into other peoples'."

Jack adopts a playful interviewer's air, "Who are you?"

"Dan Grovesner, private eye with a third eye." He makes an exhibitory gesture with his arms, "I leave that last bit off the business card."


	34. Team Ragamuffin 32

Jack snickers, "Grovesner."

"What's so silly about that?" Dan is genuinely curious rather than insulted in any way.

"Nothing."

He shrugs and continues, "I was into some pretty weird stuff in my younger years. Woke up one day after a particularly interesting trip into the human psyche, under the influence of lord knows what, with this thing poking out of my head. Took awhile to get used to, but it's come in handy over the years."

"I can see that. So then, you became a detective?"

"I sort of fell into it when people started figuring out how good I was at finding stuff." Another shrug, "I wasn't doing much else."

There is a short pause. Not an awkward one, but a pause of two men just enjoying each other's company.

Jack internal reflection and comparison to his new friend's life breaks the quiet, "Sorry man my past isn't a happy place." He smirks and looks across the table, "Well, till I ran into your short ass."

"I know." Dan smiles coyly and takes a sip of his drink.

"Seriously dude, how did you get so short?"

"Just the way I am. Dad wasn't tall, a guess my mom wasn't either." Jack responds with a nod of understanding, "Guessing your impressive stature is a similar story?"

"Yep, but I didn't stick around too long though. Believe it or not, I was always kind of a freak."

Starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and cannabis, Dan leans in, "Do tell, I've been waiting for the tragic back story."

"Well it goes a little like this..." There's a little mental preparation as he shifts into storyteller mode, "Here is young Jack, always a little shy, a little strange."

"Hold on." Stories were always better experienced rather than listened to. As an empath, he lays his hand on top of his friends and opens himself to the story.

He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he continued with the story, "So, like I was saying, I was a little bit of an outsider even at home with the family. Dad was a military man, and mom was the doctor, and my sister was the Spawn of Satan. Imagine telling them that you wanted to be an artist?"

Dan let Jack's memories and thoughts wash over him, his dilated pupils soaking up the memories. Actual retentions, and how his own thoughts and emotions tied to his kin colored the patchwork picture of Jack's family that was forming in the psychic's mind, "At least you wanted to do something."

"Yep, and when I didn't get the support I needed, I split." The spark that was all Jack sung through the connecting between him and Dan, "Now that was fun! The world was my canvas, and I was gonna make it my bitch!"


	35. Team Ragamuffin 33

"So that's what I did rolling from town to town leaving my mark." Dan sees all Jack's marks, like a gallery stretched out before him. They don't look like they would in real life. Jacks own opinion and memory of the occasion warps and twists them into an interesting gallery of images, "Until I met…" the gallery lights begin to dim, and the art stops drifting by, "Her." Jack spits out the name like venom. Venom that melts the paint from the walls of his mind until all that is left is a muddy and red dripping name of hatred and fear.

Dan read the name aloud, "Samantha."

A slow hiss from across the table, "Yessss, that bitch. I was a fool to trust her. I was so lonely, and she made me feel special. I guess I should have seen it coming, but I was blinded by lust."

Dan felt all the hate; directed at both Samantha and Jack himself. The joint and alcohol had inflated his empathy, and relaxed his mind and eye enough that, if it were visible, would appear half lidded and incredibly dilated. In this state, he couldn't really focus on anything specific; just absorb broad swaths of information that rolled over him like waves. It was a good tactic sometimes, but how much he remembered after coming down off the high was always iffy. From what he was seeing now, Samantha's game was obvious, "You kind of should of." He put himself in Jack's shoes, "But I would have fallen for it too."

"Dan?"

"Sup Jack?" He felt his friend's attentions shift slightly.

"Go fuck yourself."

"Would if I could." Dan smiled lazily, "But I'm serious. Go on, I'm enjoying the story."

Jack wasn't really mad. They both knew. So he went on, "Well, I would later find out the witch actually had me under a spell. After we hung out a while, she finally got me to leave my guard down... then she turned me. It's not like those new pussy vampire glitter in the sun shit either. This was straight up felt like someone pumped liquid fire in my veins and was tearing me apart." The grip on top of Jack's hand tightens for moment as Dan re-experiences it for the first time, "not fun huh?"

It wasn't that specific memory, but everything piled together. The betrayal and emotions after all the other good times, "Yeah, and this is just a memory with ten years piled on top of it...exhilarating."

"Heh, sorry, should have warned you." He was lying, "Anyways, that bitch made one mistake that day. Do you know what she did, Dan?"

He knows Jack is lying, and he fully accepts any memory that's thrown at him. He also knew what the mistake was, but this is Jack's story, and Dan is honored that he would share this with him. Even more so through touch, so he humors him, "What was it?"

"She left me alive."


	36. Team Ragamuffin 34

"And what doesn't kill me soon wishes they should have, because I don't make the same mistake."

Jack's story ended on the deadly promise, but Dan could still feel the lack of closure and burning animalistic rage, "Lo and behold, here you are today! She's still out there isn't she?"

"Yes, unfortunately I never got a good crack at her. Too many others, so I escaped." A sore topic, "She gave me this scar you know." Jack pointed to the thin jagged line from one cheek, across his nose, to the other, "but I gave her one just as good."

Dan finally broke the physical connection, and patted his hand, "I wouldn't expect any less of you. In fact, I'd be a little disappointed if you didn't."

"Me too." The past and present seemed to be mixing together in his head, "Those girls reminded me of when I was first turned, little more than an animal."

That night was still all too fresh. Some of his wounds were still healing, "I'm still working on that one there Jackie-o. They aren't getting away with this. You vamps are pretty damn secretive though."

"Those people deserve to burn." Jack's rage had yet to settle all the way back down.

Dan looks as focused as someone whose high can be, "I think you scared them, honestly, don't know what to do about it if I ever, no no no no no, WHEN I find 'em. Can't call the cops. I mean we could, but I don't know how well that'd work out. You feel me Jack? You magic folk are tricky customers."

"I ain't magic. It's for pussies." He leans back cockily in the booth, "I am just pure awesome."

"Awesome you are, but no magic? Then how do you do the doggy thing? And the smoky thing? And managing to throw my little butt how many yards?"

"Like I said, hard earned awesomeness."

"Well thank you for that beautiful little tale, Mr. Awesome. Anything you want to ask while I'm feeling particularly loquacious?" He says over the top of the old fashioned he has returned his attention to. "Can't say my life has been half as interesting though." The jacket he'd been wearing is shrugged off. It's just a tank top tonight. Barbed wire tattoos ring both of his arms just below the shoulder. Jack raised an eyebrow, but Dan dismissed him with a limp hand wave, "Rhodes tolerates me. We go way back. I'm a regular. Don't ya Rhodey?"

"Always and forever" he shoots across the lounge. It seemed to be an exchange they'd shared often. A ritual of sorts.

"What about _what_ made you want to live like this?" Jack says gesturing at Dan; grass stained from their adventure in the park, high, buzzed, with a few scabs from bite wounds finishing peeling off.

Like I said, I fell into it. I was a pretty shitty kid. Had this 'world don't care about me, so I don't care about it' attitude. Never figured out what I wanted to do with my life. Barely made it through high school, never went to college, made a few poor decisions." Jack put the barbed wire tattoos in that category, "Got into some theology though, philosophy, psychology, new wave shit. I tried a lot of things. Like a LOT of things. Not just drug things either. I was nineteen…twenty? I don't remember those years too well. I started cleaning up after I got my third eye. I had to, would have gone crazy otherwise. Might still be, but it really gave me a new perspective. Holy shit did it take some getting used to! You don't even know, Jack Attack!"


	37. Team Ragamuffin 35

Jack Just stares Dan down with a dead look, "...try getting used to being dead…" He might understand.

"Your thing took getting used in a different way." He dismissed the vampire with another lazy hand wave, "You ever eat a hamburger and suddenly you're everything in that juicy burger, and you're a cow living your happy little life until you're brutally handled, killed, and put inside your own mouth? It's trippy as balls man. And that's just the cow. I mean, the vegetables aren't as exciting, but you get the idea. Still a vegetarian to this day."

Jack's face told Dan he'd just realized something, "Dude…sex?" He hastily continued, that statement was WAY to vague, "You literally sleep with everyone that person's slept with _and_ them."

Dan nodded, "Blows you're fucking mind. Especially if they're good in bed or not. Which I can tell before I even roll around with 'em."

"So wait..." Jack put two and two together, "Hold on…" He was still doing the math, "Is that why you're always staring at my ass?" He finished with a suspicious squint.

"I've got some decency! I don't go prying around unless there's a need to, you've just got nice ass."

"...Uh…thanks? I think?"

"You're welcome." Dan enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable, so he threw in a wink, "Stop clenching, I know you aren't swinging my way any time soon, but a man can still enjoy the view can't he?" He motions to the untouched drink still sitting in front of Jack, "So if you're dead, is that alcohol going to waste on you?"

"Yes, here." He pushes it across the table.

"No man, you enjoy it. Unless you can't? Just thinking about things dead bodies can and can't do."

"No, really, can't get drunk or drugged."

Dan looked genuinely upset, "Not even the taste?"

"Sometimes, but I have to focus. Otherwise it tastes like ash."

"That bloooooows!"

"Yes, yes it does." The man's expression showed he missed it. A new and interesting dichotomy had just emerged between the two. Where as one could touch and experience the world and people in it with such intensity and empathy, the other being shut off from nearly everything the world had to offer unless he focused intensely.

The man with the heartbeat looks at the old fashioned sadly and holds it up, "Well here's to still being awesome, gonna enjoy this for the both of us pal." He knocks back a heavy swig.


	38. Team Ragamuffin 36

"There is a way for me to get a "buzz"."

He set the drink down, "How's that?"

"Well," Jack seemed suddenly a little shy about sharing, "it's blood."

Not even half surprised, "It always is isn't it?"

"You gotta have a lot in your system... like enough to be near O.D. We're not doing that."

"We? When did this become a joint decision? It's my body, thank you very much." Dan's charity and diminished decision making skills were telling him he wanted to do this.

"Rhodes! This man wants to O.D. I'm cutting him off!"

Rhodes looked over at Jack a bit suspiciously; he was the new guy, and an odd one at that. He was with Dan though, who answered up, "It's not your money paying for the drinks now is it? We'll have two more over here Rhodes!

The man behind the bar continued to eyeball the booth, but went about fixing up two more drinks.

Turned to Jack and have a high little smug grin that said, 'There, watcha gonna do?'

"Don't make me fight dirty here..."

"Come on, I bring you in here telling you you need to learn how to relax, and I'm gonna show you a good time after all the shit we've been through, and then I find out you can't. Now what kind of host does that? I've practically been rubbing it in your face this whole time. How do you think that makes me feel? Like a bad friend.

Jack still wasn't sold, and wasn't going to be any time soon, "Look, I'm having fun talking, but if you try to take that away things will get...messy."

"From all the vomiting I'm gonna be doing. Haven't gotten shit faced in awhile. Just remember, I'm doing this for you!" He's chuckling like it was some kind of joke. Rhodes brings the drinks over, "Another bites the dust. Thanks there, Rhodey."

"Seriously I'm warning you."

Dan was already knocking back a third while looking at Jack with a laugh in his eyes.

Before his practically suicidal pal could, Jack grabbed the fourth drink, "I like this place but every time we go to a bar bad things happen."

He set the empty glass back down, "Rhodes has put up with a lot from me." It takes him a moment to locate the last drink, "Ah come on man. I let you throw me through the air like some football. AND slap some dweebs around with my shoe. There's probably dweeb all over the bottom of it now."

The look he was giving Dan had reached a certain level of seriousness, "Last warning…it's gonna get ugly."

"How bout we try something different then? You'll let me enjoy that last drink so it doesn't go to waste. Seriously, Rhodes makes the best old fashioned, and then we'll do some psychic experimentation!" Dan wiggles his fingers mysteriously.

A long pause, "Fine..." He put the drink back on the table.

"Thank you." Over exaggeratedly, Dan sips the beverage like a perfect gentleman.


	39. Team Ragamuffin 37

Jack tried to calm back down a little, still concerned with the amount of liquor his little friend had just guzzled, "So, what is the 'experiment'?"

Dan finishes off the last drink and sits back, seeming to take stock of how drunk he truly is, "Well, it's a thought I just had. I think I've had it before? Let's jus' call it reverse psychmometry," He stumbled over his words, "Hold my hand bigguy." He opened his palm, "Unless you don't wanna. I don't like messing with people's minds. Seems kinda rude don'cha think? Feel bad enough bout just lookin some times."

"Wait messing with minds?" He trusted the man offering his hand across the table, but only to an extent. That extent was shorter now that his brain might be in the hands of a drunk and high hippy.

"Putting my thoughts into someone just never sat well with me. Coul' probably do it though." He looked off, as if not entirely certain.

"Okay, you can try it."

Jack placed his hand back in Dan's, "Now relax your thinker. If you can, rememer the last time you had a good night out on the town."

"Done."

That old memory of Jacks started to get stronger, closer, clearer, as if someone was pulling it up out of a well, that someone being Dan. Except he was adding his own water to the bucket as it ascended through the cobwebs of history. Soon the old memory and the latest sensations are mixed together into something new. No longer memory at all, and it's reached the top of the well. For a few moments Jack can feel Dan in his head. His presence felt like an eye's gaze from across a room. It was trying, as gently as possible, yet still floundering, to swim downward, all while pulling this 'bucket' up. Jack lost track of Dan's presence when he 'dumped the bucket'. The substance inside of it and the eye's gaze melted through his mind into the fuzzy relaxed haze of inebriation and high. He could even faintly taste the smoke and alcohol in the back of his throat.

"Whoa…" Across the table, Dan looks like he's sleeping. His hand is still locked firmly in Jack's though.

He sat there for a while, just enjoying sensations he thought he would never experience again. It would be better if Dan were still conscious though. Someone to enjoy this with. He'd just have to enjoy it for the both of them, "Hmmmmmmmm…."

A sharpie appeared from Jack's pocket. An artist was always prepared. Next, Dan gained the sudden ability to grow some decent facial hair other than the blonde stubble along his jaw and chin. A nice, new, dark, and dapper French moustache. He leaned back to appreciate his work, and then added a monocle for good measure.

Jack scoops Dan up for a second time that night, a little tipsy and woozy from the empathic link that was still being maintained between the two, "Well Rhodes, looks like we gotta get out of here." He gave Dan a pat on the back and shifted him to over his shoulder, "Princess here fell asleep."

The man waves them out, "Take care of my Danny boy now, Jack. Come back anytime."

"Will do!"


	40. Team Ragamuffin 38

A ways away from the bar, Dan's hand slides out of Jack's grip. After another few minutes, he groggily begins to come back around, "Waddya goin'?"

"To my place you lush."

"Izzit the cemetery? Ugh..." He was still continuing to wake up.

With Dan no longer in his head, he didn't feel drunk or high, but he still wore a happy little smile, "Nope... but the girls might be hungry now." He started singing softly to himself. (Undertaker - "Renholder Mix")

"They're too young tabe drinking…"

"Nope, but you're food remember?"

"Iknow Iknow." It was questionable whether he really did or not, "That's gonna need sum practice." Now he's trying to examine what he just attempted for the first time, "It werked though? Dinit?"

"Yep, felt pretty good." He was still hanging on to that smile, "Thank you, haven't felt that happy in a while."

Though they couldn't see each other, Dan was smiling too, and they both seemed to know it, "No, you haven'." Dan continued to gab, "I wasn eventhere anymore. Kinda osci- ozzi-," The word 'oscillating' seemed to be stumping him in his current state, "bouncing backnfroth between us. Trippy."

Jack wasn't psychic in any way shape or form, nor was he under the influence of anything. So naturally, Dan wasn't making much sense, "What? Dude, relax just enjoy the ride" Dan didn't make much sense usually.

"Trust me Iam. But naw, iwas crazy. First Iwaz me bein drunk givin you mah drunk. So then I'm you feelin mah drunk, and then I'm me feelin you haf mah drunk." A small groan, still too mind boggling, "Waz fun tho right? Gonna haf ta practice…so I don' git lost again."

The continue to walk along, Jack's undead body not minding Dan's weight, and Dan not minding being carried.

"Ya know Jackalope, I wons psychometried myself onse. Ended up ina trance fer over a month. Thas sum matrix shit right there. Not doin that again.

"No, that doesn't sound like fun at all." Jack was only half listening now.

"Like when ya think. 'What if iss all a dream? When ya die? Or we're sumun else's memries?'" He shakes his head a little, "Nope, not fun Jack-o'-lantern."

"Dan?"

"Yep, Jackknife?"

"Shut up. We're almost there."

"Right, I'll jus keep enjoyin the view." He gave jack's butt a little pat.


	41. Team Ragamuffin 39

Jack jumped a little at the unexpected butt touch, "I'll drop you, shrimp."

A cutesy defeated voice from behind him, "But imma vegetarian…"

He just sighed, "We're here." A nice apartment complex stretches above them.

Dan is craning his neck around the side of Jack's back, "Sweet digs."

"Yep, I may look like a bum, but I live nice."

They go in, and Jack finally sets Dan down in the elevator. He slides down the shiny walled surface to his butt, "Least Imma real bum. Not sum pozer." He doesn't even notice how high they're ascending until they're there, "Top floor even? Wow dude, you are such a pozer."

"Not a poser, punk, just invested wisely," He gave the drunk on the elevator floor a little nudge with his foot, "in me."

"Pooooozzzzzeeeerrrr. Thought we ha this whole ragamuffin thing goin on?'

Jack hauled Dan back up and walked down the hall stretching out from the elevator door, "Hello Ms. Richards." He waved his free hand at a confused looking woman.

"I ken walk myself jus fine. Imma big boy. Good evenin ma'am." Dan tips an imaginary hat from his undignified perch over Jack's arm.

He gave Dan a playful jostle by shifting him higher on his shoulder, "Hey, the only reason I moved over here was for the girls…that you helped me save, jerk."

"You meen you helped ME save."

"As I recall, I did most of the fighting, so MY win." He gives Dan a jab in the thigh, "_you_ were honorary chew toy."

"Never wudda found em withou me. Jus let you tag along, brotato chip."

"Did you even know they were vampires?! Nope!" These seemed to be a valid argument to Jack, "We're here.""

"Ididn even know there were bampires till a munth ago! O really? Where's here?"

"Home." Jack fishes out keys with his one free hand, and opens a door to a nice but dark apartment, "PAVEL?!"

"Yeah, PAVEL!" Dan parrots.

"We're home!"


	42. Team Ragamuffin 40

A Giant of a man, definitely over seven feet tall, appears from the shadows and lumbers over.

"How were they?" The giant doesn't answer, just continues to give Jack a dirty look, "Hey, you volunteered!"

Dan gave Pavel a wink, "Ey Terror! You look like you culd lightn up."

He finally spoke, in a deep European accent. Russian perhaps, or Polish? "De are like mini verzion of you."

"Well duh, they are _my_ daughters."

The girls' babysitter left for the night in a lumbering silence.

"Night, Terrur!" Dan called after the closing door, "He abampire too?"

"The biggun? Yes." He paused in the darkened living room, "Wait a second…" Jack looked around with a squint.

Dan, being a smartass and still on Jack's shoulder, "Not goin anywere."

Jack ignores him and dumps him down on a couch. He's still focused on the room, "Ambush."

"Wha?" From nowhere, three dark forms emerge and come flying out of the dark, "ahhell!" Body relaxed, mind dulled, Dan is lagging severely; he starts fishing around in his pockets for his brass knuckles.

In a trained motion, Jack grabs them out of the air, "Better luck next time girls, but nice try!" He drops the now giggling figures down and turns on a light.

On the couch, Dan is blinking rapidly and squinting in the sudden light. He's surprised and trying to sober up with his one hand in his pocket and the other with a brass knuckle on, but off by one, his pinkie finger was hanging out like a polite tea drinker.

Jack laughs first at his confused little pal, Dan joins in once he figures out what's actually going on, then the girls begin to giggle and chuckle at their goofy new visitor.

"Dan, these are the girls."

"I rmembr you guys. Don think I got the full intreduction though."

Jack puts his hand on a shorter girl who is bouncing and smiling with little cares in the word. Her dark medium length brown hair seemed to have no cares in the world either, "This is Isabella, or Izzy, or Bell, what ever you want."

Her smile stretched a little further and that troublemaker's glint shined a little brighter, "You taste really good Mr. Uncle Dan."

He smiles and nods, even in his current state, his eidetic memory recalled this little firecracker as the one that had latched herself onto his neck for a little snack, "Why thank you."

Their surrogate father's hand moves from Izzy to the tallest of the girls' heads. She has darker mocha colored skin and long black hair. She wears a tough face and is standing with her arms crossed, "This is Hanna or Hanners."

Dan remembered keeping her at bay with a pocket crossbow, "Hanna Banana."


	43. Team Ragamuffin 41

Jack motioned for Dan to stop before it was too late. It already was. Hanna slugged Dan in the face, hard.

Lights swam in front of him. Vampires hit like freight trucks, even the little ones. That might be a concussion? He'd had concussions before. The being drunk and high made it hard to tell. Blood dribbled out of his nose. Concussions were not fun with the third eye.

Jack had little sympathy for him, "Sorry dude she doesn't like the 'B' word."

"How bou' Hanna bandana?" He's taken the bandana off his head and is holding it to his nose.

Hanna spoke curtly, but not angrily, "Fine, but no banana."

"I'm tagin you da Friday nighs, Hanna. Form needsa liddle work doe."

"Not yet your not! Give it a couple more months." Jack, the ever proud and slightly inappropriate father, "Okay, last but not least is…Oh, what the hell."

Dan slurred, "I dun wanna git hid agin." through bloody nose and liquor.

"Ah there you are! That one behind you." Craning around uncoordinatedly on the sofa, Dan sees the third girl behind him.

She has short blonde hair and is hidden in an oversized coat. Softly she stutters out, "He...Hello Mr. Dapper Un...Uncle Dan."

"That is Esme."

Though he had never heard that name, time spent in Jack's mind told him that 'Esme' was a special title, "Hey dere Brighd Eyes."

She glances at his face, "Um… Mr. Dapper Uncle Dan Sir?" Goodness what a cutie, "You got something on your face."

"Whu?" Dan gropes his face around the bandana, but feels nothing.

A soft chuckle from Esme, "No, I mean someone drew on your face," She holds up a mirror.

Jack's handiwork is revealed, and the laughter the girls had been suppressing this entire time, bubbled out, "Huh! No wunner I look sodabber!" He turns back around, "Youdo dis 'Jack'ass?"

Jack drops the smile, "Hey, my daughters are here..."

"Zorry, zorry. Youdo diz 'Jack'_butt_?"

With all seriousness, "I will let Izzy answer this. Izzy did I do this?"

She was all too eager to answer, "HELL YEAH YOU DID THAT SHIT!"

The serious act drops, it's all fatherly pride now, "See, I did do it. And, dude, they're _my_ daughters, of course they swear." Jack and hyper Izzy high five.


	44. Team Ragamuffin 42

Dan sat laughing on the couch. All of this was just too much in his current state. All three of the girls were standing around their surrogate father now as he addressed them, "Now, I bet you girls are hungry huh?"

"YES!"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

"Well food is..." For half a second Dan's heart stood suspended between beats. It was a very sobering effect, "in the fridge."

The girls run off to the kitchen and Jack hears his friend's quickened heart beat, "I wouldn't them feed on ya. Not after today." He plops down beside Dan.

"Dey loo'good, Jack."

"Yeah, they do...Take after their old man."

"I nodiced." He removes the bandana from his face. The bleeding has mostly stopped.

Jack chuckles again, "Sorry dude, but I told you, they hit hard."

"Didn know they were gonna hi'me. Ya gotta bathroom in thiswanky place?"

"Down the hall to the right."

Dan gave a thumbs up and fumbled down the hall and to the right. A few minutes later, he reappears with no blood and less sharpie on his face. He collapses back down on the couch, "So, ya dezided you're gonna stay awhile?"

"Huh? Where am I going?"

"Thoughd you were jus pazzing through when we firs met. Gotta fancy apartmen now, an some rugrats. Youra family man now."

"Hah! I haven't been a Nomad for seven years now. Nah, man, I'm going to stay right here for as long as I can..." Jack looks content, like he's found a place he'd been missing, or maybe just never had.

"Stinkin vampires… Movin'in… Ruinin the neighborhood."

Jack bops Dan on the back of the head, "Dirty hippies all around."

This dirty hippy was glad this stinking vampire was going to stick around. He knew a lot of faces. Like, a LOT of faces. An eidetic memory burned each one into his mind, but not many of those faces were friends. Jack was the first person he could truly consider a close friend, the first person, in fact, that he'd openly shared his third eye with.

His close friend pulled him out of his drunken reverie, "But we're gonna have to toughen you up if you're gonna roll with me."

"Seriouzly, I kin takare of myself. Maybe I can'turn into smoke n' throw unsuspekin detectives through tha air, but I kin hold my own."

"You're as hard as a kitten..."

Right NOW maybe…" Dan is slowing down again, "Yes…definitely." He starts to make purring noises and lays his head on Jack's lap, all three eyes closed. In not time the purrs have become snores.

Jack smiles and gives a soft laugh, "Well that was fun."

Standing up slowly so as not to disturb his guest, he was pretty sure a collapsing building wouldn't wake the drunk up though, he put the girls to bed before coving Dan with a blanket that was mostly for looks in an apartment full of dead people.

The sky was getting grey, "Good night hippie." Jack sinks into the floor to sleep.


	45. Team Ragamuffin 43

Dan woke up to a fuzzy hangover and a serious case of the munchies. The apartment was completely dark, yet the clocks read a little after 4 p.m. He feels his way to the bathroom first, then the kitchen.

While taking care of business, he hears a phone ringing back out in the living room, "Shhhhhhhhhhhh!" He stumbles around the dark unfamiliar apartment with a hand to his head and exposed eye, "Don't get your panties in a twist. I'm coming. I'm coming! Shhhhhhhhh!"

The cellphone is finally found. The name on the screen reads 'Unknown'.

"Good morning, Unknown, this is the Jack residence."

"Who the Fuck are you?" A very pissed off voice growls at the other side.

"I happen to be a very hung-over private eye. Who do you think YOU are with that attitude? I could have not answered at all, Mr. Unknown."

A hand slips the phone out of Dan's hands, "Sorry sir. What? No, don't worry about that fool." It was Jack. he hissed at Dan, "You're lucky to be alive."

"You don't think I don't know that sunshine?"

"Dan, shut up. I'm on the phone." He turns his attention back to the cell, "No sir, you don't need to kill him. Yes, I understand. It won't happen again. Thank you sir. See you soon."


	46. Team Ragamuffin 44

Jack was finishing up on the phone as Dan shuffled back to the kitchen. He could hear the fridge door open and a disappointed hung-over man, "I don't know what I was expecting…"

Jack knew exactly what his friend had been greeted with, blood, "You have no idea what could have just done." He couldn't stay mad at the hippy though.

"I am hungry, hung-over, and Unknown is a rude dude. I cannot be held responsible for my actions right now."

"Yes, _until_ you piss that guy off. You're lucky I took the phone. Come on lets go get you some food and coffee..." He gave another look. This one said 'we are going to need it'.

Dan grabbed the only thing he could, which was some water from the tap. He didn't even bother with a glass, "What's going down? Hey wait...it's daytime."

Jack looked at the tinted and heavily shaded windows, "Yeah, well you can grab something and come back. I need to make a few more calls."

"Deal, I got nothing better planned." He goes to leave, but stops himself right exiting, "You got a bandana or something I could borrow?" Both, comfortable with his third eye, they had forgotten it was hanging out. Right now it was closed, and just looked like a big seam across Dan's forehead with dirty blond wavy bedhead framing it. His bandana from last night was still lying on the couch looking a little bloody.

"Hold on."

"That's the second one you guys have mangled. I'm gonna start keeping track." He playfully jabs as his host walks down the hall.

Jack comes back with a tie-dye floral patterned bandana, "Here, this was all I could find." He's trying not to laugh out loud, "It's the girls'."

"Sweet." He binds it around the line that is his closed eye with no qualms. Perhaps a bit lovingly even. Dan looks even more like some hippy from the 60's now, "I'll be back a little later." And out the door he went.


	47. Team Ragamuffin 45

The sun has set over the windy city, and there's a knock at the door.

"Hello?" The apartment door cracks open to the dark frizzy mane of Izzy's hair.

It was Dan. He looked like he was feeling much better now that he had grabbed a change of clothes, some food, and coffee. The floral bandana was still wrapped around his forehead, "Good evening milady. Is your father home?"

"OH! Flower Dan!"

She slams the door with youthful vigor and yelling can be heard from the other side.

Dan lounged against the opposite side of the hall to wait.

"DAD! There's a hippy at the door!"

"Is it Dan?!"

"Yes, but you said never let strangers in!"

"Honey, you know Dan... " You could hear and picture the sigh Jack was giving right then.

"But he is STRANGE!"

There is laughing now from both sides the door, Jack and Dan.

He appears suddenly from inside his apartment, "Come on Dan, we're late for our date."

Dan threads his arm through Jack's as they head back down the hall. This was a change from Jack's usual pace, he like it, "Where you taking me stud?"

Jack looks at Dan, he was not going to like this at all, "Well, I got a Job from the boss…"

"Jobs usually come from those types of people."

"…and where we are going is a secret." Man, Dan was going to hate him.

"A secret!" Dan was in a great mood. He was going out with a friend, last night had been a blast, he didn't need much of a reason beyond that, "You sure know how to treat a guy, Cracker Jack. I just hope it's not karaoke or dancing. I'm tone deaf with no sense of rhythm."

They were down in the street now, and a familiar black limo had just pulled up, "After you." Jack gestures after he opens the door.

Dan gives a playful look back at Jack as he slips in, "Things just keep getting better. Seriously, should I have dressed up a bit more?" He didn't really have anything nicer than a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that weren't too torn or stained, but it was the thought that counted, right?

In the limo, Dan noticed a 30's something man with blonde hair and a disinterested look on his face wearing a spiffy suit that would have looked spiffier back during WWII. He greats Dan with the most unimpressed German accent, "So, zis iz zee hippie?"

"I'm ze hippie."

The man does not look amused, "Szought you had higher standards, Jack."

"Yeah, screw you too old man." Jack fired back when he got in the limo, "Dan, Gerhardt. Gerhardt, Dan."

The hippy extended a hand, "Nice to meet ya Poptart."

The doctor gives a look of icy condescension at the hand and doesn't do anything.

"Yeah, anyway," Jack lowers Dan's hand for him, "Dan, I need your help with this job."

"You got it." No hesitation.


	48. Team Ragamuffin 46

Jack was thankful Dan was so eager to help, but the poor guy still didn't have any of the details, "Apparently a new religion has popped up in the Barrens."

"Congratulations? I may have lived here all my life, but I'm still new to this whole vampire thing." Dan was under the assumption that Gerhardt was a vampire as well, the 'The Barrens' were lower class suburbs outside of Chicago city proper, suburbs and stuff along those lines. He didn't make it there often since he primarily walked everywhere, and that was at least two hours out by car.

"Yeah well apparently they believe that if you eat the heart of the 'holy undead' you gain power. I mean, who's stupid enough to eat a heart? Especially one of a vampire?"

Jack was flustered, so Dan was still a bit confused, "Vamps eating vamps or humans eating vamps? Either way it sounds pretty messed up. ESPECIALLY when they think YOU guys" He pointed at the two men sharing the limo, are 'The Holy Undead'. The holiest I've seen you, Jack Attack, is with some bullet holes in you."

"Hah yeah... by the way you owe me...No, they are humans."

"Now I'm starting to see where I might come into this. Gotta tell you, wasn't expecting cults on a date night."

"Yep, you're going to help us find them... and take them down." Jack was getting serious. Into his 'business' mindset, "They've been operating out of churches. We think we've finally tracked them down though, but just in case, I brought you along."

"That and consecrated ground right?"

The limo comes to a stop outside of a small shop, "That's just a myth, Dan." Jack gets out and starts walking to an unmarked storefront, Gerhardt stayed put, "Come on."

Dan skips out, trying to keep his sunny attitude from only minutes before. He walks in after his buddy, "Jack…this is not a church. Unless you worship at the temple of 'Freedom Armory'…" That was the name of the store. At least it was on a sign hanging behind the counter.

"Nope just a stop. We aren't going in there naked."

Wouldn't that give them a surprise though! I like that idea better. Besides, you have plenty of 'alternatives'." He was making a hint to the claws he'd seen Jack grow, the crossbow he had hidden, and probably a few other little surprises that he didn't know about.

Dan was a pacifist. He didn't like resolving to violence until it was unavoidable, or it was for sport, like boxing. Guns were one of the things on his list of '_things that are usually not good ever_', yet everyone always seemed to have one.

Jack addressed an older gentleman walking out of a back room from behind the counter, "Hey Michael! Got any specials on today?"

"Jack, my favorite customers what can I do for you?" He waves with a prosthetic hand.

"Just need some basic gear and something for the green horn over here!" He shakes with his left hand like an old friend.

"I'll see what I got." He disappears into the store's backrooms again.


	49. Team Ragamuffin 47

Jack pulled Dan aside as Michel headed in back. He could sense the man's apprehension, "Look Dan, just because I have alternatives doesn't mean they're always for the best... Look, humans are… difficult… you never know what they'll do and the Regent wants a message sent out that we don't take kindly to what they are doing..." He looks him deep in the eye, "Okay Dan?"

Dan looked levelly back at Jack, more stubborn than usual, " People aren't difficult, Jack. You were one once. You still are. Part of my job is understanding just how confusing people are." He relented, and broke eye contact, "Besides, your methods aren't too different from using a gun. I don't know who this Regent is, but I don't take kindly to people killing and eating each other either. Doesn't matter what species. If you think this is the best route, then I trust you."

Jack nods and Michael comes from in back sounding like he's arguing with some one, "I don't care what you say, Asmo, I'm not doing it."

The older gentleman lays down two black tactical armored vests, a shotgun, and two pistols.

One of the vests is thrown to Dan while Jack inspects the guns, "They clean, Michael?" The hot stare the store owner makes Jack go sheepish, "Yeah, I know, of course they are." Jack slips the gear on and picks up the shotgun and one of the pistols, "need help over there Dan?"

The pacifist is still holding the vest. He had just told Jack he trusted him, but he really wasn't sure what to expect anymore, "I don't know if it's really 'my style'." He looks over with a confused and pleading face, "Come on man, How bad is this really gonna be? I thought I was just finding them."

"Look, it's Just armor." Jack says taking it from him, "It's just incase they're armed as well."

"We all have arms, Jack" Dan holds his up, barbed wire tattoos exposed, trying to be smart, but just coming off as a small child stalling while getting ready for school.

Ignoring him, Jack helps Dan slide into the armor and tightens it, "Yeah, well Dan, I can take bullets, but can you? Trust me, It's not fun to be shot." He thumps the chest to make sure everything is in place.

Dan's smile falters, "I can imagine. Now who's this Reagent? The equivalent of an important vampire political figure?"

"Think Duke. Apparently one of these cultists' sacrifices was a friend of his. So yeah, they really got put on the shit list."

"You guys are so dramatic…" This was feeling more like mercenary work to Dan, rather than detective work.

"More like _thorough._" Jack holds out the other pistol, "Now, you need to take this as well."

"Do I have to? I've never even held a gun, and I've got the armor."

"Do you want to be honorable and dead... or fight dirty and live?"

"I want everyone to get along." He grudgingly takes the gun so he and Jack can continue to get along.

"Yes, we all do... but that's not the way the world works, Dan-o."


	50. Team Ragamuffin 48

Dan mumbled to himself, defeated, "Bunch of kids… Pointing guns at each other… Constantly bickering."

He was overheard, "Dan, I think you're the youngest here..."

"**But** the most mature. Come on." It took him a minute, but the detective eventually finds the holster and tucks the gun away.

"Whatever you say Dan-o. See ya Michael." Jack follows Dan out.

The sarcasm is thick in the other man's voice, "Yep. Thanks for the sweet gear, Mickey."

Michael was waving them goodbye, "Good kids, but god damn are they dumb, am I right? Yeah I agree." He was talking to no one over his left shoulder. What an odd old man, Dan liked him anyway.

He still got a smack up side the head from Jack, "Don't be an ass."

Outside the store now, limo still running, Dan decided to cheer back up for his own sake, "Where we off to now?"

"Church." Jack cocked the shotgun.

"You waited all day to do that, didn't you?"

"...Yes."

An hour later, they pull up to a small church in the middle of a large empty plot of land. The limo pulled away the moment they stepped out. No goodbye from Gerhardt.

"Ready Danny Boy?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, anything you want me looking for specifically?"

"Well, we are looking for what the hell they were trying to accomplish and how the hell they were getting their hands on the other Vamps." Jack's voice grew softer the closer they got to the front door. There were still a few lights on, "Sounds like no one's home, but let's knock just in case." He grins and brings the shotgun to bear.

"Hold up there cowboy." Dan weighed the shotgun barrel down and touched the door. With his third eye open, he could now see anyone who'd gone in or out of it, "Looks like we may be interrupting a little service. There's about twenty-one people in there. All of them showing up within the last three hours. Maybe we should come back later and poke around when they're gone? Answer some questions with some good ole detective work?" Dan was mildly hopeful Jack would agree, but knew it wasn't in the man's nature.

"Hell no, Dan, we do this my way... Knock Knock!" Jack kicks the doors in, "Hey Lucy! I'm Home!" He rushes in, "Um…Dan?

He peeks his head in

The shotgun was being used to motion around the room, "Where the hell are all the people?"


	51. Team Ragamuffin 49

The place was empty.

Dan walked in, "Just because they didn't go out the front door doesn't mean they didn't leave." He started to creep around the building in his flip-flops, checking all the exits to see if anyone had gone out in the past three hours. They hadn't, "They're here somewhere…"

"Hey, Come check this out three eye's."

"Whatchya got?"

Jack was standing over by the alter, "Blood." He was still scanning around, on edge, "You want to come here and do that magic you do?"

Dan dipped a tentative finger in the substance. He grimaces. Bodily fluids were touchy things for his psychometry. Bodily fluids were once part of a person, emotions, thoughts, and convolutions that weren't there like they should have been. It just became 'dead matter' once it left the body, "It's vampire, I think? It's not like normal blood anyway. It's pretty old."

Because of his psychometry, Dan missed it, but Jack heard the click loud and clear, "SHIT!" He pushed Dan back...hard.

Jack was gone, and a hole was in his place. It appeared they had been standing on a trap door.

Dan scrambled up from his back and looked over the edge. He couldn't see the bottom, but he could hear gunshots and echoes of fighting and yelling coming form below, "Fuck you! Get your hands off me! I'll kill all you shits! No! Let go meat sack!"

"Oh hell." He couldn't leave Jack down there. Dan was bracing himself to jump in before he noticed some footprints disappearing behind a tapestry across the dusty church floorboards, "What do we have here?"

It was a stairwell spiraling down.

"I'm coming Jack Attack. Just hang on." He started descending as quickly as possible keeping his eyes peeled as best as someone unaccustomed to firearms and tactical inexperienced can be. Bar fights and boxing were one thing, this was another. All he had were his wits. Luckily, he had plenty of those. The echoing sound of his flip-flops slapping against his feet followed him down.

Near the bottom, he started to hear faint voices. Dan slowed down to listen, "But brother, he took out six of our brothers and sisters. His not one of the holy, surely."

Another, heavier, voice, "Worry not dear brother all will be well. Their sacrifices will not be in vain. He is the last one."

The detective deduced they were guards. He was just out of sight around the corner at the bottom of the stairs now. He stole a glance in the middle of their conversation. They looked like normal enough people. They were wearing street clothes with simple robes pulled over. The bigger one though, he seemed _tainted_ somehow. Dan wasn't sure how, but that guy made him just a little uneasy.


	52. Team Ragamuffin 50

Dan had a plan. He crept back up the stairs a ways and slipped off the vest and gun. He'd be back for them in a sec if this went well. With a fake shout of surprise, he started tumbling down the stairs until he landed in a heap at the bottom.

Both the guards respond and rush over to him, "What the heck?!", "Huh!"

He was going for the 'vagrant alcoholic looking for a place to spend the night after a heavy day on the bottle'. Sure there was no smell, but he had the element of surprise, didn't he? Dan started acting," 'Ello boyz. Cun I gi' a han?" He'd have to take them both out at the same time if this was going to work; not to mention quietly. His third eye might have to try something new to pull this off.

"Hey, what are you doing here!?" The smaller man said, reaching down. He had been the first over.

Dan grasps the hand and immediately starts diving into memories. He was looking for one of sleep and fatigue, and easy enough thing to find. No time for answers. He could do that once he had Jack back safe and sound.

Concentrating and talking was exceptionally difficult. It made his fake stupor even more believable, "I...waz lookin bou... ubou...gonna gi some zzzzz...you fella's?" There it was, now to make it more than a memory. Dan started filling the man's mind with the recollection.

If this worked like the psychic hoped, the memory might become the man's reality.

"Hey…what's going on? I ...I... feel tired." The man went out like a light.

Look, it worked! Dan didn't break character though. He continued the charade, "Loos li' da lil guy needd sum tooooo?" He pretends to stagger up with great effort, "Ther's sm stares up thre. Ya no dat sunny? Needa be carefll!" A vague gesture behind to the stairs worked as a cue to fall into the second guard with self-impaired motor functions. The moment he had contact, Dan went sharply to work on another sleeping memory.

This entire plan was inspired from the hazy memories of less than twenty-four hours ago. What he was doing was just a simpler version of what he'd had done to Jack only, except using their own memories to make them feel and react a certain way. Much safer, and more effective to a point, than using his own.

Finding a memory of sleeping was easy, but there were parts of this man's mind that didn't want to be blanketed in it though. It was like they kept kicking off the covers. He couldn't be fighting back, could he? It could be that Dan just wasn't practiced at this yet. He _rarely_ manipulated others' minds. He gave it a bit more. Just in case, he let his hand drop a bit closer to the brass knuckles in his pocket.

The larger man was still resisting, and something was definitely off about him. Okay, Dan was doing this the easy way. The act was dropped, " Sorry big guy. Here to pick my kid up from daycare and you're in the way." The guard was already confused and now surprised. He was just starting to react when Dan's elbow smashed into the side of his face and knocked him out.

Standing over the two unconscious bodies, Dan dusted his hands and went back to get the vest and gun. It took him a second to figure out how they went on again, but his crystal clear memory of Jack putting it on guided the way. Before moving on, he rooted through the memories of the guards to see what was on the other side of the door, or what was going on in general.


	53. Team Ragamuffin 51

From their minds, Dan plucked the route to the 'ceremony' room through the small maze of tunnels easily enough. He also skimmed that they were planning to sacrifice Jack to fuel their twisted religious beliefs. He even got all the names and faces of the attendees. There weren't many. There would be no blending in. From the larger gentleman, he tasted the sharp iron and copper memory of drinking blood; vampire blood. Had that twisted him somehow? It didn't matter now. Dan had as much information that he had time for. He opened the now unguarded door and started rushing to the room where he feared he might loose a friend. His eidetic memory kept the route positioned perfectly in his head.

He stopped just outside the room, pushing back the sinking feeling. Chanting could be heard, and, periodically over it, swearing.

Under his breath, "Good to hear you're still kicking, Jack Attack." Dan took a deep breath. He had all the names and faces of everyone in that room, knew exactly what they were doing, who the leader was, the guards on Jack, the layout of the room. All this information did him nothing right now, and it was terrifying. Slowly, and unwillingly, Dan drew out the gun.

From the other side of the door, "And with this sacrifice…"

The words trigger the memories of the guards, of other vampires being mercilessly slaughtered. Dan couldn't help envision Jack in each of those scenarios.

In a frenzy, the man threw the door open and shouted something unintelligible. He couldn't think now; that was a friend in there. There were people in front of him; the shot was blocked, not to mention he'd never touched a gun before this in his life. Everyone turned in mild surprise to see a five foot four inch man in baggy jeans, a bulletproof vest, and a tie-dyed floral bandana waving a gun at them. The trigger didn't seem to want to be pulled.

Jack yelled from across the room, "The safety you dumbass!"

Dan looked down at the gun, searching for a button, or something that said safety, "Evening folks. Sorry to interrupt the show. Just having some technical difficulties here...Just hold on a moment." The whole time, he cased the place as he fumbled, "You know, they should really label these. They are NOT user friendly. They aren't friendly to anyone in fact!"

The man running the show turned back around to Jack, chained between two supports and looking beat to hell with a broken arm and leg, covered in blood, to finish what he started. Clearly, he thought this new fool was not a threat.

"DAN! HURRY UP!"

"I'M COMING!" He forgot about the gun for the time being and charged forward. His small boxer's build bulled through the small throng of followers. Leaping onto the small 'stage' he used the gun to instead pistol whip the 'father'.

Jack was thoroughly beaten up, but glad to see Dan, "You dumbass, click the red button."

Dan was glad to see Jack alive too, or living dead, whatever you wanted to call it, "You never press the red button! Oh Hell..."

Two more guards are now advancing on the intruder who just struck their leader.


	54. Team Ragamuffin 52

"Kill that man!" The man yells as the mass closes in. He seems to be completely unbothered by the fact that Dan had just beat him over the head with a gun.

"PUSH THE DAMN BUTTON!"

Dan fumbles again for the safety. Got it this time. The barrel was raised to the leader's head, "Everyone freeze, or Father Jason Smith will be the sacrifice tonight." He hoped the name drop had worked, he hoped it was intimidating enough.

Still unimpressed, the Father backhands Dan out of the way and to the ground. He could taste blood on the way down. Then, in one swift motion, impaled Jack in the heart.

Jack goes wide-eyed and chokes for a few seconds before slumping forward against his bonds.

"JACK!" The gun went off. Dan didn't aim, he couldn't, his emotions blinding. All he could do was lift the gun and pull. Everyone and everything in the room was beginning to close in on him.

The sound was deafening, but useless. Father Smith merely shrugged off the wound to his shoulder. Just like he'd shrugged off everything else, "Pathetic." He looked down at Dan, turning away from Jack with the knife buried in his chest, "Couldn't even save your friend. And this, my children, is why we must become stronger!" He turns to the his followers now, "To protect the flock from these devils and demons! We will become the shepherds of the New World!"

*Dan chucked the pointless metal as hard as he can at the Father and jumped back to his feet, "I'm stronger than I look."

With no time for knuckles, he went for a straight kidney shot. The plan now was to try and get him low enough for a sleeper hold, or to use psychometry, though he wasn't sure how well that would work against this man. All he could really think is that he needed to help Jack.

The Father laughed and turned back around, "Still too weak." He shoves Dan back and roughly pulls up Jack's lifeless head, "Your friend put up a better fight. And now look at him. Dead!"

"NO!" A cry of denial for his loss, and shout of refusal to give up. Dan threw himself at the man again; twice as hard this time, his will burning.

Everyone in the crowd had stopped moving.

Dan and the Father ended in a pile on the ground. He may have been stronger, but Dan had the grappling experience. Using every last ounce of his strength Dan managed to wrap himself behind and around the man, he was evil, but he still couldn't bring his muscles to end Father Jason Smith's life.

Instead, Dan cracked his third eye open; wanting to share the torrent of emotions he was currently experiencing. He started looking for a memory, not of sleep this time, but memories of shame, regret, sorrow, self-loathing, anguish, and hopelessness. We all had held those thoughts in our mind at some point in our lives.

No, it was too much. He couldn't focus, not on that much, not with his limited skill. His own emotions clouded his mind, and kept his third eye from seeing what he wanted it to. He only saw the man's memories that corresponded with his own emotions thus fueling them. Mental turmoil and uncontrolled emotions were a psychic's downfall, Dan knew this; he also knew he was on the edge of this.


	55. Team Ragamuffin 53

Dan's third eye was still open to the Father's mind. He was fighting back all the time, his disdain, hatred, and self-righteousness never wavering. He had killed Jack, didn't regret a single action, and was going to kill Dan.

Dan let out a choked sob and twisted the man's neck to a point of no return. Immediately, his mind went dark. He was left clutching a lifeless piece of flesh, with history, but no memories or thoughts, no feelings, but if he went back far enough he could see that there had been. In disgust, he untangled himself from the body and slammed his third eye closed. It was too late though. He could still feel his connection to the man as he'd died.

Bile rose within him. No time. No. Jack was still suspended behind him.

He was vaguely aware of the crowd around them beginning to move again. Dan forced himself to touch Father James Smith's body once more and take the keys. He gently lowered Jack's body from its restraints, Third eye still shut off from the world. He couldn't bear to touch another body that had once held life and memories, especially not Jacks, but it was Jack. The room was silent.

Dan pulled the knife from Jack's chest and tossed it violently aside. Tears streamed down his face openly now, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He wasn't even sure whom he was apologizing to. Was it to James for taking his life? To Jack for letting him?

"Hey easy there Danny." The voice was a weak cough, "Who the hell made you cry? I'll fuck em up..."

The congregation was dead silent, but in the distance, a commotion could be heard getting closer. They are beginning feel unease now with their leader gone.

A jolt of panic and shock come from hearing Jack's voice. Dan was stunned. He was also sickened by how he couldn't help but think that killing the Father had somehow been worth it now that Jack was alive, "Jack?!" The bile that threatened before succeeded this time. He threw up off to the side.

With a labored smile, "In the flesh." He then noticed the body only a few feet away, and the smile falters, "Dan, did you do this?"

"Yeah..."

The room was emptying out quickly now. Screaming and gunfire were coming form outside the door and down the tunnels.

Jack gave a humorless laugh, "Welp, looks like back-up came."

Dan is wincing at every shot fired off.

Jack notices the shell shock, "Hey man, are you okay?"

He wasn't, his heart had been crushed and revived too many times today. He was defeated, "I can give you names and faces of anyone that gets away..." He took the attention off himself, and back to his friend, "How're you? You look like you've been through a meat grinder. What'll the girls think?"


	56. Team Ragamuffin 54

He ignored Dan, he knew what Dan was trying to do, "It never gets easier... the killing I mean..." Jack could care less about himself right now, "But you had to do it."

"That's what I'll keep telling myself for the rest of my life. I killed a part of myself, Jack."

The wounded man didn't say anything, just starts to lift himself up, "I'm gonna try something, Dan."

"Stop moving man, let me help. Shit."

Jack draped his arms around Dan in a hug, focusing on a happy memory, "Look, the way to beat this, is to have something to fight for."

Jack said some corny stuff, but God damn it if it wasn't true, "It was fighting for something that go me into this mess." Slowly and tentatively, the third eye opened. The memory was beautiful though; a simple one of Jack and the girls just hanging out watching T.V. That got Dan to smile, "Now, let me help you."

"Yeah…kind of can't move. Healing is a bitch."

An half-hearted laugh, "Ha, what can't you do Jack Attack?"

"Cook... I can't cook."

Images of the things Jack has attempted to cook enter through the still open third eye. They don't look too successful.

Dan's laugh has a little more life in it this time, "You and me both."

"See all you need in life is a cause and a smile." He proves it with his own, "Now help me up, I can't walk..."

"Always had a smile," Dan hauled Jack up as gingerly as possible with an arm over his shoulder, "Never found that cause though."

"Hell, do it for me and the girls. Remember, you're Uncle Dan. You're apart of this screwed up family as much as we are."

They shuffled towards the door and fading gunshots.

"I think I could do that."

"Welcome to the family. Now let's go home."


End file.
